Oct. 14, 2026 · FAA opens a review of SpaceX's plan for up to 456 Starship launches a year at Starbase

October 14, 2026 · FAA · Starship

FAA opens a review of SpaceX's plan for up to 456 Starship launches a year at Starbase

Vapor rolls across the Starbase launch site at sunrise as the Flight 14 stack stands in the launch tower, with the Gulf behind it — File photo: the Flight 14 stack at sunrise, from SpaceX's Sept. 30 Flight 14 photos. Photo: SpaceX.

The FAA will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement on SpaceX's proposal to raise Starship launches at Starbase from the current limit of 25 a year to as many as 456, with up to 912 landings a year. The FAA's notice is in today's Federal Register, Wednesday, Oct. 14, and opens public comment through Monday, Nov. 30.

Two phases: Phase 1 would allow up to 100 launches and 200 landings a year (100 Starship, 100 Super Heavy), on any day or time of the week. Phase 2 tops out at 456 launches and 912 landings a year, with launches Monday through Friday only, and "would be implemented within several years," the notice says. Today SpaceX is authorized for up to 25 launches and 50 landings a year.
Day and night: for its analysis, the FAA assumes half of launches and landings happen during the day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and half at night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Noise, air quality, wildlife, coastal resources, visual effects, and "socioeconomics and children's health and safety risks" are among the areas it will study.
Where they come down: Super Heavy would land at the launch site, soft-land in the Gulf of America, or be expended in flight. Starship would land at the launch site, soft-land in the Gulf or the open ocean, or be expended in the open ocean.
The alternative: the only alternative the FAA lists is "No Action," which keeps SpaceX at the cadence approved in the FAA's 2025 increased-cadence environmental assessment. The notice says other sites aren't reasonable alternatives because Starbase already has the infrastructure.
Public meetings, all Central time: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1 to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Texas Southmost College's Jacob Brown Auditorium, 600 International Blvd., Brownsville. Thursday, Nov. 19, same times, at the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center, 309 Railroad St. A virtual meeting runs Wednesday, Nov. 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with English-Spanish translation for spoken comments.
How to comment: online at regulations.gov, docket FAA-2026-12808, or by mail to Ms. Amy Hanson, FAA Environmental Protection Specialist, SpaceX Boca Chica, c/o Kimley-Horn, 767 Eustis Street, Suite 100, St. Paul, MN 55114, by Nov. 30. Comments are posted online as submitted, including any personal details you include. Requests for help beyond Spanish translation go to spacexbocachica@icf.com by Monday, Nov. 2.

Why it matters here: Phase 1 alone would be four times today's limit. This scoping period is when the public tells the FAA what the study should cover. A draft comes later, with its own round of comments. Starship Gazer flagged the notice on Tuesday.

Sources: Federal Register, FAA notice of intent, Oct. 14 (Doc. 2026-20963) · Federal Register PDF · Starship Gazer on X, Oct. 13

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