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SpaceX facilities

April 30, 2024

As of 2023, SpaceX operates four launch facilities: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), and Brownsville South Texas Launch Site (Starbase). Space Launch Complex 40 was damaged in the AMOS-6 accident in September 2016 and repair work was completed by December 2017.[1] SpaceX believes that they can optimize their launch operations, and reduce launch costs, by dividing their launch missions amongst these four launch facilities: LC-39A for NASA launches, SLC-40 for United States Space Force national security launches, SLC-4E for polar launches, and South Texas Launch Site for commercial launches.[2]

The Falcon 9 launch complex at Cape Canaveral, Florida

COO Gwynne Shotwell stated in 2014 that "we are expanding in all of our locations" and "you will end up seeing a lot of SpaceX launch sites in order to meet the future demand that we anticipate."[3] As of June 2016, SpaceX discussed preliminary plans to launch an average of 90 rockets per year after 2019.[4] SpaceX have indicated that, depending on market demand, they may actually need another commercial launch site in addition to the Texas location.[2]

In 2016, SpaceX signed a five-year lease to use a 53,000 square foot (4,900 m2) former Spacehab building at Port Canaveral.[5] A new building nearby is also planned, and these facilities would be used to refurbish rockets.[6]

In addition, SpaceX uses a suborbital test facility, the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas. A high-altitude suborbital test facility was under construction in New Mexico,[2] but was abandoned following the switch to flight tests on commercial missions.

SpaceX has indicated that they see a niche for each of the four orbital facilities currently in use or under construction, and that they have sufficient launch business to fill each pad,[7] particularly so by the end of the decade if SpaceX business remains strong.[2]

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station edit

 
Falcon 9, Flight 3, above SpaceX Cape Canaveral launch complex, May 2012

In 2007, the US Air Force leased Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 to SpaceX to launch the Falcon 9 rocket.[8] During April 2008, construction started on the ground facilities necessary to support the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Renovations included installation of new liquid oxygen and kerosene tanks and construction of a hangar for rocket and payload preparation.

The first Falcon 9 rocket arrived at SLC-40 in late 2008, and was first erected on January 10, 2009.[9] It successfully reached orbit on its maiden launch on June 4, 2010, carrying a dummy payload qualification unit. SpaceX modified the launch pad in 2013 in order to support launches of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle, a 60 percent heavier rocket with 60 percent more thrust on realigned engines[10] and 60 percent longer fuel tank than the v1.0 version of the Falcon 9, requiring a modified transporter/erector.[11]

In September 2016, the pad was damaged when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during liquid oxygen loading in preparation for a hot-fire test.[12] The pad was repaired and used for the first time since the explosion in the SpaceX CRS-13 mission in December 2017.[13]

Kennedy Space Center edit

 
Robert D. Cabana, director of KSC, announces the signing of the LC-39A lease agreement on April 14, 2014.

In December 2013, NASA and SpaceX were in negotiations for SpaceX to lease Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, after SpaceX was selected in a multi-company bid process, following NASA's decision in early 2013 to lease the unused complex out as part of a bid to reduce annual operation and maintenance costs of unused government facilities.[14] The SpaceX bid was for exclusive use of the launch complex to support their future crewed missions,[15] but SpaceX said in September 2013 that they are also willing to support a multi-user arrangement for LC-39A,[16] and they reiterated that position in December 2013.[17]

A competing bid for commercial use of the launch complex was submitted by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, who bid for a shared non-exclusive use of the complex such that the launchpad can interface with multiple vehicles, and costs of pad operational expenses could be shared over the long term. One potential shared user in the Blue Origin notional plan was with United Launch Alliance.[15] In September 2013—prior to completion of the bid period, and prior to any public announcement by NASA of the results of the process—Blue Origin filed a protest with the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) over what it said was "a plan by NASA to award an exclusive commercial lease to SpaceX for use of mothballed space shuttle launch LC-39A."[18] NASA planned to complete the bid award and have the pad transferred by October 1, 2013, but the protest delayed a decision until after the GAO resolved the protest.[18] Following the eruption of the controversy, on September 21, SpaceX said that they were willing to support a multi-user arrangement for LC-39A.[2][16] In December 2013, the GAO denied the protest and sided with NASA, which argued that the solicitation contains no preference on the use of the facility as multi-use or single-use. "The [solicitation] document merely asks bidders to explain their reasons for selecting one approach instead of the other and how they would manage the facility."[19]

SpaceX began architectural and engineering design work on the pad modifications in 2013, and signed the contractual documents to lease the pad for 20 years[20] from NASA in April 2014.[21] SpaceX is building a large Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) just outside the perimeter of the existing launch pad in order to "house the Falcon [rockets] and associated hardware and payloads during processing."[22] This is a marked difference from the vertical integration facility used by previous US government rockets that used the launch pad (Apollo Program and the Space Shuttle)—plus the installation of all new instrumentation and control systems, with substantial new plumbing for a variety of rocket liquids and gasses.[20]

The Falcon rockets will be transported from the HIF to the launch pad aboard a Transporter Erector (TE) which will ride on rails up the former crawlerway path.[22] In February 2016, it was reported that the pad was completed and activated indicating it is ready for launches of Falcon 9 Full Thrust.[23] The first SpaceX launch from LC-39A occurred in February 2017, followed by a successful first-stage landing at Landing Zone 1. Further work was needed to support Falcon Heavy and crewed launches took over 60 days and occurred after Cape Canaveral LC-40 reopened.[1] Demo-2, SpaceX's first crewed space mission launched from the Kennedy LC-39A launch pad in May 2020.

In April 2018, SpaceX completed a draft environmental assessment for a new facility "that would include a booster processing hangar and launch control center on 67 acres (27 ha) of KSC property" to support a faster flight rate of "Falcon rockets, including processing of landed booster stages and recovered payload fairings for reuse."[24]

Future support edit

The SpaceX Starship was initially deemed too large to launch from any existing SpaceX facility. In 2014, SpaceX indicated that the historic Florida launchpad LC-39A would not be large enough, and they planned to build a new site to accommodate the 9-meter-diameter (30 ft) rocket.[25] The Starship is projected to be powered by 28 Raptor liquid oxygen/liquid methane engines producing approximately 72 MN (16,000,000 lbf) of thrust at liftoff.[26][27][28][29] In his September 2016 presentation, Elon Musk stated that the large launch vehicle would indeed be launched from LC-39A.[30] However, SpaceX instead opted to build their South Texas Launch Site for exclusive use by Starship.

Vandenberg Space Force Base edit

 
SpaceX west coast launch facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, during the launch of CASSIOPE, September 2013

SpaceX currently operates a West Coast launch site located at Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 in order to deliver satellites to polar or Sun-synchronous orbits with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches.

SpaceX broke ground at Vandenberg in July 2011.[31][32] A 2011 estimate showed that the project was expected to cost between $20 and $30 million for the first 24 months of construction and operation; thereafter, operational costs were expected to be $5–10 million per year. The sixth flight of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched in September 2013, which was the maiden flight of Falcon 9 v1.1.[2] The site was used for a second time in January 2016 for the Jason-3 launch (which was the last flight of Falcon 9 v1.1) and for a third time in January 2017 for the first of the Iridium Next launches.

On April 24, 2023, the United States Space Force announced that it was leasing Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) to SpaceX for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. SpaceX expects to begin Falcon 9 launches from SLC-6 in 2025 and Falcon Heavy launches in 2026.[33] Since then, SpaceX has started reconfiguring the launch pad.[34]

Other launch pads edit

 
The first Falcon 1 at SpaceX's leased launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This vehicle was removed from VAFB due to delays and eventually launched from Omelek Island.

SpaceX originally intended to launch their first launch vehicle, the Falcon 1, from Space Launch Complex 3 West (SLC-3W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. SLC-3W was modified by SpaceX to support the Falcon 1, and the Falcon 1 was erected on the pad in 2005. Problems arose when SpaceX was unable to obtain sufficient launch window availability because the pad would overfly other Air Force pads that were frequently left occupied for weeks or months at a time, thus severely restricting SpaceX launches.[31] Ultimately, this launch pad was never used for orbital launch, although it was used for a number of ground tests.

SpaceX proceeded to then[when?] build a launch facility in the northern Pacific Ocean at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, on Omelek Island, a part of the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. SpaceX began launching Falcon 1 rockets from Omelek in 2006. Falcon 1 Flight 4 was the first successful privately funded, liquid-propelled launch vehicle to achieve orbit, and was launched from Omelek Island on 28 September 2008, followed by another Falcon 1 launch on 13 July 2009, placing RazakSAT into orbit.[35]

SpaceX originally planned to upgrade the Omelek launch site for use by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, but later cancelled their plans to do so, and have since disassembled the entire installation. In December 2010, the SpaceX launch manifest listed Omelek (Kwajalein) as a potential site for several Falcon 9 launches, the first planned for as early as 2012.[36] The "Falcon 9 Overview" document also offered Kwajalein as a launch option in 2010.[37] Since then, the FAA Environmental Impact Report of May 2014 lists this site as non-operational and returned to its original state, to no longer be used, "Five Falcon 1 launches occurred at Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll. After these launches of the Falcon 1, the site was no longer needed and SpaceX closed the site and returned the property to pre-launch conditions".[38] All Falcon 1 launches took place at this location, five launches from 2006 to 2009. SpaceX abandoned Omelek when Falcon 1 was retired, due to the expense of logistics.

Suborbital test facilities edit

SpaceX has two rocket test facilities for vertical takeoff, vertical landing rockets: the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas and a leased test facility at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico.[2] All SpaceX rocket engines are tested on rocket test stands, and low-altitude VTVL flight testing of the Falcon 9 Grasshopper v1.0 test vehicle are done at McGregor. High-altitude, high-velocity flight testing of Grasshopper v1.1 were planned to be done at Spaceport America. In addition to atmospheric flight testing, and rocket engine testing, the McGregor facility is also used for post-flight disassembly and defueling of the SpaceX Dragon following orbital missions.

Both flight test facilities are principally involved in developing and testing various elements of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program, with a goal to making future SpaceX launch systems fully and rapidly reusable.[39]

SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility, McGregor, Texas edit

 
SpaceX McGregor engine test bunker, September 2012

SpaceX's Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas is used for research and development of new rocket engines and thrusters as well as for testing final manufactured engines, various components, and engines during development.[40] Although SpaceX manufactures all of their rocket engines and thrusters at their Hawthorne headquarters, each must pass through McGregor where the company tests each new engine off of the assembly line as well as those being developed for future missions to orbit and beyond[41] before each one can be used on a flight mission. "The company's headquarters and factory in ... southern California gets a lot of the attention, but most of the noisy, dirty and critical testing work is done just outside this small central Texas town nestled in amid the farm fields."[41] Extensive and repeated rocket engine testing is a key to increasing reliability and thereby mission success, while lowering operating cost for SpaceX.[42] Dragon spacecraft, following use on a space mission, splashdown and recovery, are shipped to McGregor for de-fueling, cleanup, and refurbishment for potential reuse in flight missions.[41]

In 2003,[43] the company leased the McGregor testing facilities of defunct Beal Aerospace—on land formerly used for the World War II Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant[40]—where it refitted the largest test stand at the facilities for Falcon 9 engine testing. SpaceX has made a number of improvements to the facility since purchase, and has also extended the size of the facility by purchasing several pieces of adjacent farmland. The area to support the test facility was initially just 256 acres (104 ha)[40] but by April 2011 this more than doubled to over 600 acres (240 ha).[44] With only three initial employees onsite, the facility grew to over 140 employees by late 2011.

In 2011, the company announced plans to upgrade the facility for launch testing a VTVL rocket, known as Grasshopper,[45] and then constructed a half-acre concrete launch facility in 2012 to support the test flight program.[46] After 8 flights of Grasshopper, and 5 flights of its successor "F9R Dev1" between 2012 and 2014, the FAA permit to fly Grasshopper flight tests in Texas expired in October 2014.[47]

As of October 2012, the McGregor facility consisted of seven test stands operated 18 hours a day, six days a week,[41] and was building more test stands because production was ramping up and the company had a large manifest in the next several years. As of September 2013, the McGregor facility operated 11 test stands involved in the rocket engine test program, and was averaging two tests each day. The largest test stand by 2013 was the 82 meters (269 ft) tall Falcon 9 tripod.[48] As of March 2015, the facility comprised 4,000 acres (1,600 ha),[49] with 12 test stands; it had run over 4000 Merlin engine tests, including some 50 firings of the integrated nine-engine first stage.[49] In May 2016, the McGregor City Council instituted more restrictive rules on rocket engine, rocket stage, and low-altitude flight testing. SpaceX has not commented publicly on how the new rules will affect their testing operations, nor whether they will be evaluating other locations where they might conduct such testing.[50]

The first scaled methane-fueled Raptor rocket engine, manufactured at the Hawthorne facility in California, shipped to McGregor by August 2016 for development testing.[51]

In 2019, SpaceX begin refitting the original vertical test stand at McGregor—previously used for testing Falcon 9 booster stages and second stages starting in the mid-2000s—to be a vertical test stand for Raptor rocket engines to add test capabilities not present in their multiple-bay Raptor test stand.[52] Rocket engines designed for many uses, tested constantly in horizontal test stands with a gravity gradient orthogonal to the turbine pumps, have somewhat differing wear characteristics on the bearing surfaces which increases wear on startup and shutdown.[53]

In July 2021, SpaceX announced that they would be building a second production facility for Raptor engines, this one at the McGregor 4,280 acres (1,730 ha) facility. The Dallas Morning News reported in July that Spacex will "break ground soon" and that the facility will concentrate on the serial production of Raptor 2, while the California facility will produce Raptor Vacuum and new/experimental Raptor designs. The new facility is expected to eventually produce 800 to 1000 rocket engines each year, approximately 2 to 4 each day.[54][55]

SpaceX high-altitude test facility, New Mexico edit

As part of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program, SpaceX announced in May 2013 that the follow-up to Grasshopper, a high-altitude, vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) suborbital technology demonstrator would be tested at Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico. SpaceX signed a three-year lease for land and facilities at the recently operational spaceport.[56][57] As of May 2013, SpaceX indicated that they did not yet know how many jobs would move from McGregor, Texas to New Mexico to support the second phase of VTVL Grasshopper testing.[58]

In 2013, SpaceX constructed a 30-by-30-meter (98 ft × 98 ft) pad at Spaceport America, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) southwest of the spaceport's main campus, and will lease the pad for US$6,600 per month plus US$25,000 per Grasshopper flight. The spaceport administrator expected SpaceX to be operational at the Spaceport between October 2013 and February 2014, and anticipated that the lease payments would begin at that time.[59][60] By May 2014, SpaceX expended more than US$2 million on construction of the New Mexico facility, and is using more than 20 local firms to work on the project. Work items have included modifying the Range Operations Plan as well as a variety of fire-prevention measures.[61]

While in July 2014 the first test flight was still expected to occur sometime in 2014,[62] reports in October 2014 indicated that the first flight of F9R Dev2 at Spaceport America would not occur until the first half of 2015.[63] On 19 February 2015, SpaceX announced that the F9R Dev2 would be discontinued indicating that ocean tests using operational Falcon 9 rockets were sufficiently successful that it was no longer necessary.[64] Instead the New Mexico site will be used for testing the returned first stages.[citation needed]

During April 2015, SpaceX performed tanking tests on the In-Flight Abort rocket on the Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-4E. Since this rocket only possessed three Merlin 1D engines, it was speculated that the discontinued F9R Dev2 was re-purposed as the launch vehicle in the In-Flight Abort Test.[65]

SpaceX Starbase edit

 
Map showing proposed locations of the control center and vertical launch area at the Texas facility, from the FAA draft Environmental Impact Statement, April 2013
Main article: SpaceX Starbase

Until 2019, SpaceX was building a new spaceport at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville, Texas for their private use, with an emphasis on commercial space transport work.[66][67] The site is to be optimized for launches of commercial telecommunication satellites that would be launched to the east, across the Gulf of Mexico into geostationary transfer orbits.[2]

During 2011–2014, SpaceX considered as many as seven potential locations around the country for a new private launch facility for orbital flights, including Alaska, California, Florida,[68] Texas, Virginia,[69] Georgia,[70] and Puerto Rico.[71] One of the proposed locations for the new commercial-mission-only spaceport was south Texas, which was revealed in April 2012, via preliminary regulatory documentation. The FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation began a multi-year process to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement[72] and public hearings on the new launch site, which would be located in Cameron County, Texas. The site was to initially support up to 12 commercial launches per year, including two Falcon Heavy launches.[73][74][75]

As early as March 2013, Texas became the leading candidate for the location of the new SpaceX commercial launch facility, although Florida, Georgia and other locations remained in the running. Legislation was introduced in the Texas Legislature in early 2013 that would enable temporary closings of State beaches during launches, limit liability for noise and some other specific commercial spaceflight risks, while the legislature also considered a package of incentives to encourage SpaceX to locate at the Brownsville, Texas location.[76] The Texas incentive package and beach closing legislation is in place. In October 2013, CEO Musk said that "Texas is looking increasingly likely," waiting for final regulatory approvals.[2] The FAA released the draft Environmental Impact Statement in April 2013, and "found that 'no impacts would occur' that would force the Federal Aviation Administration to deny SpaceX a permit for rocket operations near Brownsville."[77]

Floating launch platforms edit

SpaceX had bought two floating landing & launch platforms, Phobos and Deimos for their second-generation Starship system. Two deepwater oil rigs were procured in July 2020, and in 2021, modifications are underway on the two ships in the Port of Brownsville and Port of Galveston.[78][79][80]

In 2023 however, Gwynne Shotwell stated this idea was abandoned and SpaceX had sold the two platforms.[81]

See also edit

References edit

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{{|title=Elon Musk says SpaceX’s next Texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near Waco |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2021/07/10/elon-musk-says-spacexs-next-texas-venture-will-be-a-rocket-engine-factory-near-waco/ |work=Dallas Morning News |date=10 July 2021 |access-date=11 July 2021}}

April 30, 2024
spacex, facilities, 2023, update, spacex, operates, four, launch, facilities, cape, canaveral, space, launch, complex, vandenberg, space, force, base, space, launch, complex, kennedy, space, center, launch, complex, brownsville, south, texas, launch, site, sta. As of 2023 update SpaceX operates four launch facilities Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 SLC 40 Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E SLC 4E Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A LC 39A and Brownsville South Texas Launch Site Starbase Space Launch Complex 40 was damaged in the AMOS 6 accident in September 2016 and repair work was completed by December 2017 1 SpaceX believes that they can optimize their launch operations and reduce launch costs by dividing their launch missions amongst these four launch facilities LC 39A for NASA launches SLC 40 for United States Space Force national security launches SLC 4E for polar launches and South Texas Launch Site for commercial launches 2 The Falcon 9 launch complex at Cape Canaveral Florida COO Gwynne Shotwell stated in 2014 that we are expanding in all of our locations and you will end up seeing a lot of SpaceX launch sites in order to meet the future demand that we anticipate 3 As of June 2016 update SpaceX discussed preliminary plans to launch an average of 90 rockets per year after 2019 4 SpaceX have indicated that depending on market demand they may actually need another commercial launch site in addition to the Texas location 2 In 2016 SpaceX signed a five year lease to use a 53 000 square foot 4 900 m2 former Spacehab building at Port Canaveral 5 A new building nearby is also planned and these facilities would be used to refurbish rockets 6 In addition SpaceX uses a suborbital test facility the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor Texas A high altitude suborbital test facility was under construction in New Mexico 2 but was abandoned following the switch to flight tests on commercial missions SpaceX has indicated that they see a niche for each of the four orbital facilities currently in use or under construction and that they have sufficient launch business to fill each pad 7 particularly so by the end of the decade if SpaceX business remains strong 2 Contents 1 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station 2 Kennedy Space Center 2 1 Future support 3 Vandenberg Space Force Base 4 Other launch pads 5 Suborbital test facilities 5 1 SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility McGregor Texas 5 2 SpaceX high altitude test facility New Mexico 5 3 SpaceX Starbase 5 4 Floating launch platforms 6 See also 7 ReferencesCape Canaveral Space Force Station edit nbsp Falcon 9 Flight 3 above SpaceX Cape Canaveral launch complex May 2012 In 2007 the US Air Force leased Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 to SpaceX to launch the Falcon 9 rocket 8 During April 2008 construction started on the ground facilities necessary to support the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Renovations included installation of new liquid oxygen and kerosene tanks and construction of a hangar for rocket and payload preparation The first Falcon 9 rocket arrived at SLC 40 in late 2008 and was first erected on January 10 2009 9 It successfully reached orbit on its maiden launch on June 4 2010 carrying a dummy payload qualification unit SpaceX modified the launch pad in 2013 in order to support launches of the Falcon 9 v1 1 launch vehicle a 60 percent heavier rocket with 60 percent more thrust on realigned engines 10 and 60 percent longer fuel tank than the v1 0 version of the Falcon 9 requiring a modified transporter erector 11 In September 2016 the pad was damaged when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during liquid oxygen loading in preparation for a hot fire test 12 The pad was repaired and used for the first time since the explosion in the SpaceX CRS 13 mission in December 2017 13 Kennedy Space Center edit nbsp Robert D Cabana director of KSC announces the signing of the LC 39A lease agreement on April 14 2014 In December 2013 NASA and SpaceX were in negotiations for SpaceX to lease Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A after SpaceX was selected in a multi company bid process following NASA s decision in early 2013 to lease the unused complex out as part of a bid to reduce annual operation and maintenance costs of unused government facilities 14 The SpaceX bid was for exclusive use of the launch complex to support their future crewed missions 15 but SpaceX said in September 2013 that they are also willing to support a multi user arrangement for LC 39A 16 and they reiterated that position in December 2013 17 A competing bid for commercial use of the launch complex was submitted by Jeff Bezos Blue Origin who bid for a shared non exclusive use of the complex such that the launchpad can interface with multiple vehicles and costs of pad operational expenses could be shared over the long term One potential shared user in the Blue Origin notional plan was with United Launch Alliance 15 In September 2013 prior to completion of the bid period and prior to any public announcement by NASA of the results of the process Blue Origin filed a protest with the U S General Accounting Office GAO over what it said was a plan by NASA to award an exclusive commercial lease to SpaceX for use of mothballed space shuttle launch LC 39A 18 NASA planned to complete the bid award and have the pad transferred by October 1 2013 but the protest delayed a decision until after the GAO resolved the protest 18 Following the eruption of the controversy on September 21 SpaceX said that they were willing to support a multi user arrangement for LC 39A 2 16 In December 2013 the GAO denied the protest and sided with NASA which argued that the solicitation contains no preference on the use of the facility as multi use or single use The solicitation document merely asks bidders to explain their reasons for selecting one approach instead of the other and how they would manage the facility 19 SpaceX began architectural and engineering design work on the pad modifications in 2013 and signed the contractual documents to lease the pad for 20 years 20 from NASA in April 2014 21 SpaceX is building a large Horizontal Integration Facility HIF just outside the perimeter of the existing launch pad in order to house the Falcon rockets and associated hardware and payloads during processing 22 This is a marked difference from the vertical integration facility used by previous US government rockets that used the launch pad Apollo Program and the Space Shuttle plus the installation of all new instrumentation and control systems with substantial new plumbing for a variety of rocket liquids and gasses 20 The Falcon rockets will be transported from the HIF to the launch pad aboard a Transporter Erector TE which will ride on rails up the former crawlerway path 22 In February 2016 it was reported that the pad was completed and activated indicating it is ready for launches of Falcon 9 Full Thrust 23 The first SpaceX launch from LC 39A occurred in February 2017 followed by a successful first stage landing at Landing Zone 1 Further work was needed to support Falcon Heavy and crewed launches took over 60 days and occurred after Cape Canaveral LC 40 reopened 1 Demo 2 SpaceX s first crewed space mission launched from the Kennedy LC 39A launch pad in May 2020 In April 2018 SpaceX completed a draft environmental assessment for a new facility that would include a booster processing hangar and launch control center on 67 acres 27 ha of KSC property to support a faster flight rate of Falcon rockets including processing of landed booster stages and recovered payload fairings for reuse 24 Future support edit The SpaceX Starship was initially deemed too large to launch from any existing SpaceX facility In 2014 SpaceX indicated that the historic Florida launchpad LC 39A would not be large enough and they planned to build a new site to accommodate the 9 meter diameter 30 ft rocket 25 The Starship is projected to be powered by 28 Raptor liquid oxygen liquid methane engines producing approximately 72 MN 16 000 000 lbf of thrust at liftoff 26 27 28 29 In his September 2016 presentation Elon Musk stated that the large launch vehicle would indeed be launched from LC 39A 30 However SpaceX instead opted to build their South Texas Launch Site for exclusive use by Starship Vandenberg Space Force Base edit nbsp SpaceX west coast launch facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base during the launch of CASSIOPE September 2013 SpaceX currently operates a West Coast launch site located at Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 in order to deliver satellites to polar or Sun synchronous orbits with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches SpaceX broke ground at Vandenberg in July 2011 31 32 A 2011 estimate showed that the project was expected to cost between 20 and 30 million for the first 24 months of construction and operation thereafter operational costs were expected to be 5 10 million per year The sixth flight of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched in September 2013 which was the maiden flight of Falcon 9 v1 1 2 The site was used for a second time in January 2016 for the Jason 3 launch which was the last flight of Falcon 9 v1 1 and for a third time in January 2017 for the first of the Iridium Next launches On April 24 2023 the United States Space Force announced that it was leasing Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 6 SLC 6 to SpaceX for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches SpaceX expects to begin Falcon 9 launches from SLC 6 in 2025 and Falcon Heavy launches in 2026 33 Since then SpaceX has started reconfiguring the launch pad 34 Other launch pads edit nbsp The first Falcon 1 at SpaceX s leased launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base California This vehicle was removed from VAFB due to delays and eventually launched from Omelek Island SpaceX originally intended to launch their first launch vehicle the Falcon 1 from Space Launch Complex 3 West SLC 3W at Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC 3W was modified by SpaceX to support the Falcon 1 and the Falcon 1 was erected on the pad in 2005 Problems arose when SpaceX was unable to obtain sufficient launch window availability because the pad would overfly other Air Force pads that were frequently left occupied for weeks or months at a time thus severely restricting SpaceX launches 31 Ultimately this launch pad was never used for orbital launch although it was used for a number of ground tests SpaceX proceeded to then when build a launch facility in the northern Pacific Ocean at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Omelek Island a part of the Kwajalein Atoll Marshall Islands SpaceX began launching Falcon 1 rockets from Omelek in 2006 Falcon 1 Flight 4 was the first successful privately funded liquid propelled launch vehicle to achieve orbit and was launched from Omelek Island on 28 September 2008 followed by another Falcon 1 launch on 13 July 2009 placing RazakSAT into orbit 35 SpaceX originally planned to upgrade the Omelek launch site for use by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle but later cancelled their plans to do so and have since disassembled the entire installation In December 2010 the SpaceX launch manifest listed Omelek Kwajalein as a potential site for several Falcon 9 launches the first planned for as early as 2012 36 The Falcon 9 Overview document also offered Kwajalein as a launch option in 2010 37 Since then the FAA Environmental Impact Report of May 2014 lists this site as non operational and returned to its original state to no longer be used Five Falcon 1 launches occurred at Omelek Island Kwajalein Atoll After these launches of the Falcon 1 the site was no longer needed and SpaceX closed the site and returned the property to pre launch conditions 38 All Falcon 1 launches took place at this location five launches from 2006 to 2009 SpaceX abandoned Omelek when Falcon 1 was retired due to the expense of logistics Suborbital test facilities editSpaceX has two rocket test facilities for vertical takeoff vertical landing rockets the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor Texas and a leased test facility at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico 2 All SpaceX rocket engines are tested on rocket test stands and low altitude VTVL flight testing of the Falcon 9 Grasshopper v1 0 test vehicle are done at McGregor High altitude high velocity flight testing of Grasshopper v1 1 were planned to be done at Spaceport America In addition to atmospheric flight testing and rocket engine testing the McGregor facility is also used for post flight disassembly and defueling of the SpaceX Dragon following orbital missions Both flight test facilities are principally involved in developing and testing various elements of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program with a goal to making future SpaceX launch systems fully and rapidly reusable 39 SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility McGregor Texas edit nbsp SpaceX McGregor engine test bunker September 2012 SpaceX s Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor Texas is used for research and development of new rocket engines and thrusters as well as for testing final manufactured engines various components and engines during development 40 Although SpaceX manufactures all of their rocket engines and thrusters at their Hawthorne headquarters each must pass through McGregor where the company tests each new engine off of the assembly line as well as those being developed for future missions to orbit and beyond 41 before each one can be used on a flight mission The company s headquarters and factory in southern California gets a lot of the attention but most of the noisy dirty and critical testing work is done just outside this small central Texas town nestled in amid the farm fields 41 Extensive and repeated rocket engine testing is a key to increasing reliability and thereby mission success while lowering operating cost for SpaceX 42 Dragon spacecraft following use on a space mission splashdown and recovery are shipped to McGregor for de fueling cleanup and refurbishment for potential reuse in flight missions 41 In 2003 43 the company leased the McGregor testing facilities of defunct Beal Aerospace on land formerly used for the World War II Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant 40 where it refitted the largest test stand at the facilities for Falcon 9 engine testing SpaceX has made a number of improvements to the facility since purchase and has also extended the size of the facility by purchasing several pieces of adjacent farmland The area to support the test facility was initially just 256 acres 104 ha 40 but by April 2011 this more than doubled to over 600 acres 240 ha 44 With only three initial employees onsite the facility grew to over 140 employees by late 2011 In 2011 the company announced plans to upgrade the facility for launch testing a VTVL rocket known as Grasshopper 45 and then constructed a half acre concrete launch facility in 2012 to support the test flight program 46 After 8 flights of Grasshopper and 5 flights of its successor F9R Dev1 between 2012 and 2014 the FAA permit to fly Grasshopper flight tests in Texas expired in October 2014 47 As of October 2012 update the McGregor facility consisted of seven test stands operated 18 hours a day six days a week 41 and was building more test stands because production was ramping up and the company had a large manifest in the next several years As of September 2013 update the McGregor facility operated 11 test stands involved in the rocket engine test program and was averaging two tests each day The largest test stand by 2013 was the 82 meters 269 ft tall Falcon 9 tripod 48 As of March 2015 update the facility comprised 4 000 acres 1 600 ha 49 with 12 test stands it had run over 4000 Merlin engine tests including some 50 firings of the integrated nine engine first stage 49 In May 2016 the McGregor City Council instituted more restrictive rules on rocket engine rocket stage and low altitude flight testing SpaceX has not commented publicly on how the new rules will affect their testing operations nor whether they will be evaluating other locations where they might conduct such testing 50 The first scaled methane fueled Raptor rocket engine manufactured at the Hawthorne facility in California shipped to McGregor by August 2016 for development testing 51 In 2019 SpaceX begin refitting the original vertical test stand at McGregor previously used for testing Falcon 9 booster stages and second stages starting in the mid 2000s to be a vertical test stand for Raptor rocket engines to add test capabilities not present in their multiple bay Raptor test stand 52 Rocket engines designed for many uses tested constantly in horizontal test stands with a gravity gradient orthogonal to the turbine pumps have somewhat differing wear characteristics on the bearing surfaces which increases wear on startup and shutdown 53 In July 2021 SpaceX announced that they would be building a second production facility for Raptor engines this one at the McGregor 4 280 acres 1 730 ha facility The Dallas Morning News reported in July that Spacex will break ground soon and that the facility will concentrate on the serial production of Raptor 2 while the California facility will produce Raptor Vacuum and new experimental Raptor designs The new facility is expected to eventually produce 800 to 1000 rocket engines each year approximately 2 to 4 each day 54 55 SpaceX high altitude test facility New Mexico edit As part of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program SpaceX announced in May 2013 that the follow up to Grasshopper a high altitude vertical takeoff vertical landing VTVL suborbital technology demonstrator would be tested at Spaceport America near Las Cruces New Mexico SpaceX signed a three year lease for land and facilities at the recently operational spaceport 56 57 As of May 2013 update SpaceX indicated that they did not yet know how many jobs would move from McGregor Texas to New Mexico to support the second phase of VTVL Grasshopper testing 58 In 2013 SpaceX constructed a 30 by 30 meter 98 ft 98 ft pad at Spaceport America 7 kilometers 4 3 mi southwest of the spaceport s main campus and will lease the pad for US 6 600 per month plus US 25 000 per Grasshopper flight The spaceport administrator expected SpaceX to be operational at the Spaceport between October 2013 and February 2014 and anticipated that the lease payments would begin at that time 59 60 By May 2014 SpaceX expended more than US 2 million on construction of the New Mexico facility and is using more than 20 local firms to work on the project Work items have included modifying the Range Operations Plan as well as a variety of fire prevention measures 61 While in July 2014 the first test flight was still expected to occur sometime in 2014 62 reports in October 2014 indicated that the first flight of F9R Dev2 at Spaceport America would not occur until the first half of 2015 63 On 19 February 2015 SpaceX announced that the F9R Dev2 would be discontinued indicating that ocean tests using operational Falcon 9 rockets were sufficiently successful that it was no longer necessary 64 Instead the New Mexico site will be used for testing the returned first stages citation needed During April 2015 SpaceX performed tanking tests on the In Flight Abort rocket on the Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC 4E Since this rocket only possessed three Merlin 1D engines it was speculated that the discontinued F9R Dev2 was re purposed as the launch vehicle in the In Flight Abort Test 65 SpaceX Starbase edit nbsp Map showing proposed locations of the control center and vertical launch area at the Texas facility from the FAA draft Environmental Impact Statement April 2013 Main article SpaceX Starbase Until 2019 SpaceX was building a new spaceport at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville Texas for their private use with an emphasis on commercial space transport work 66 67 The site is to be optimized for launches of commercial telecommunication satellites that would be launched to the east across the Gulf of Mexico into geostationary transfer orbits 2 During 2011 2014 SpaceX considered as many as seven potential locations around the country for a new private launch facility for orbital flights including Alaska California Florida 68 Texas Virginia 69 Georgia 70 and Puerto Rico 71 One of the proposed locations for the new commercial mission only spaceport was south Texas which was revealed in April 2012 via preliminary regulatory documentation The FAA s Office of Commercial Space Transportation began a multi year process to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement 72 and public hearings on the new launch site which would be located in Cameron County Texas The site was to initially support up to 12 commercial launches per year including two Falcon Heavy launches 73 74 75 As early as March 2013 Texas became the leading candidate for the location of the new SpaceX commercial launch facility although Florida Georgia and other locations remained in the running Legislation was introduced in the Texas Legislature in early 2013 that would enable temporary closings of State beaches during launches limit liability for noise and some other specific commercial spaceflight risks while the legislature also considered a package of incentives to encourage SpaceX to locate at the Brownsville Texas location 76 The Texas incentive package and beach closing legislation is in place In October 2013 CEO Musk said that Texas is looking increasingly likely waiting for final regulatory approvals 2 The FAA released the draft Environmental Impact Statement in April 2013 and found that no impacts would occur that would force the Federal Aviation Administration to deny SpaceX a permit for rocket operations near Brownsville 77 Floating launch platforms edit SpaceX had bought two floating landing amp launch platforms Phobos and Deimos for their second generation Starship system Two deepwater oil rigs were procured in July 2020 and in 2021 modifications are underway on the two ships in the Port of Brownsville and Port of Galveston 78 79 80 In 2023 however Gwynne Shotwell stated this idea was abandoned and SpaceX had sold the two platforms 81 See also editSpaceX reusable launch system development program SpaceX Landing ZoneReferences edit a b Launch operators expect minimal delays from Hurricane Irma Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow com Archived from the original on 2017 10 18 Retrieved 2017 09 30 a b c d e f g h i Clark Stephen 2013 10 18 SpaceX says robust market can support four launch pads Spaceflight Now Archived from the original on 2013 10 30 Retrieved 2013 10 27 Gwynne Shotwell 2014 03 21 Broadcast 2212 Special Edition interview with Gwynne Shotwell audio file The Space Show Event occurs at 49 50 50 40 2212 Archived from the original mp3 on 2014 03 22 Retrieved 2014 03 22 Port Commissioner SpaceX negotiating Port lease to refurbish rocket boosters Fox35 Local News 2016 06 23 Archived from the original on 2016 06 26 Retrieved 2016 07 01 Dave Berman November 23 2016 SpaceX plans five year lease of Port Canaveral complex Florida Today Retrieved 15 June 2017 Nick Statt Aug 24 2016 SpaceX is building new facilities at Port Canaveral to refurbish rockets The Verge Archived from the original on 2 April 2017 Retrieved 15 June 2017 Klotz Irene 2013 08 02 SpaceX Appetite for U S Launch Sites Grows Space News Archived from the original on September 5 2013 Retrieved 2013 09 05 Kelly John April 25 2007 SpaceX cleared for Cape launches Florida Today Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved June 5 2010 Shanklin Emily January 12 2009 SpaceX s Falcon 9 on Launch Pad at Cape Canaveral SpaceX com Archived from the original on February 1 2009 Retrieved June 5 2010 Falcon 9 s commercial promise to be tested in 2013 Spaceflight Now Archived from the original on 20 November 2012 Retrieved 17 November 2012 Klotz Irene 2013 09 06 Musk Says SpaceX Being Extremely Paranoid as It Readies for Falcon 9 s California Debut Space News Archived from the original on 2013 09 13 Retrieved 2013 09 13 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket satellite destroyed in explosion Florida Today Archived from the original on 2016 09 02 Retrieved 2016 09 01 Gebhardt Chris December 6 2017 SLC 40 comes back to life with CRS 13 static fire campaign NASASpaceFlight com Archived from the original on August 8 2018 Retrieved November 15 2018 SpaceX to bid for rights to historic NASA launch pad Phys org 2013 12 13 Archived from the original on 2013 12 15 Retrieved 2013 12 15 a b Matthews Mark K 2013 08 18 Musk Bezos fight to win lease of iconic NASA launchpad Orlando Sentinel Archived from the original on 2013 08 27 Retrieved 2013 08 21 a b Foust Jeff 2013 09 21 A minor kerfuffle over LC 39A letters Space Politics Archived from the original on 2013 09 25 Retrieved 2013 09 25 Boyle Alan 2013 12 13 SpaceX wins NASA s nod to take over historic Launch LC 39A NBC News Archived from the original on 2013 12 17 Retrieved 2013 12 18 a b Messier Doug 2013 09 10 Blue Origin Files Protest Over Lease on LC 39A Parabolic Arc Archived from the original on 2013 09 25 Retrieved 2013 09 11 Messier Doug 2013 12 12 Blue Origin Loses GAO Appeal Over LC 39A Bid Process Parabolic Arc Archived from the original on 2013 12 16 Retrieved 2013 12 13 a b Dean James 2014 04 15 With nod to history SpaceX gets launch LC 39A OK Florida Today Archived from the original on 2014 07 30 Retrieved 2014 04 15 NASA signs over historic Launch Pad 39A to SpaceX collectSpace 2014 04 14 Archived from the original on 2014 08 24 Retrieved 2014 11 19 a b Bergin Chris 2014 11 18 Pad 39A SpaceX laying the groundwork for Falcon Heavy debut NASA Spaceflight Archived from the original on 2014 11 19 Retrieved 2014 11 17 Jeff Foust February 4 2016 SpaceX seeks to accelerate Falcon 9 production and launch rates this year Space News Retrieved 15 June 2017 SpaceX proposing expansion of Florida launch processing facilities 11 June 2018 accessed 12 June 2018 Gwynne Shotwell 2014 03 21 Broadcast 2212 Special Edition interview with Gwynne Shotwell audio file The Space Show Event occurs at 20 00 21 10 and 22 15 22 35 2212 Archived from the original mp3 on 2014 03 22 Retrieved 2014 03 22 Elon Musk 29 September 2017 Becoming a Multiplanet Species video 68th annual meeting of the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide Australia SpaceX Archived from the original on 9 March 2018 Retrieved 2017 12 14 via YouTube a href Template Cite AV media html title Template Cite AV media cite AV media a CS1 maint location link Belluscio Alejandro G 2014 03 07 SpaceX advances drive for Mars rocket via Raptor power NASAspaceflight com Archived from the original on 2015 09 11 Retrieved 2014 03 07 SpaceX propulsion chief elevates crowd in Santa Barbara Pacific Business Times 19 February 2014 Archived from the original on 20 February 2014 Retrieved 22 February 2014 spacexcmsadmin 2019 09 27 Starship SpaceX Retrieved 2019 11 10 Bergin Chris 2016 09 27 SpaceX reveals ITS Mars game changer via colonization plan NASASpaceFlight com Archived from the original on 2016 09 28 Retrieved 2016 09 27 a b Robbins Rebecca 2011 07 15 Men to Mars from Vandenberg Archived from the original on 2011 07 18 Retrieved 2011 07 15 Reisinger Don 2011 07 15 SpaceX breaks ground on Falcon Heavy launch site CNET Archived from the original on 2011 08 10 Retrieved 2011 07 15 Roulette Joey April 24 2023 SpaceX wins approval to add fifth U S rocket launch site Reuters Reconfiguring SLC 6 X Formerly Twitter Spaceflight Now Falcon Launch Report Mission Status Center www spaceflightnow com Archived from the original on 2009 08 02 Retrieved 2013 08 21 Launch Manifest SpaceX Archived from the original on 9 June 2012 Retrieved 28 December 2010 Falcon 9 Overview Performance SpaceX 2010 Archived from the original on 2013 05 01 Retrieved 2010 12 28 FEIS SpaceX Texas Launch Site Vol I PDF FAA 2014 Archived from the original PDF on 2014 06 01 Retrieved 2014 05 30 Gannes Liz 2013 05 30 36 03 Tesla CEO and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk The Full D11 Interview Video All Things D Video interview Archived from the original on 2013 05 31 Retrieved 2013 05 31 hopeful that sometime in the next couple of years we ll be able to achieve full and rapid reusability of the first stage which is about three quarters of the cost of the rocket and then with a future design architecture achieve full reusability a b c Sanchez Sandra 22 December 2011 SpaceX Blasting into the future A Waco Today interview with Elon Musk Waco Tribune Archived from the original on 30 July 2018 Retrieved 7 October 2015 a b c d Paur Jason 2012 10 10 Inside SpaceX s Texas Rocket Testing Facility Wired Archived from the original on 2013 01 09 Retrieved 2012 12 31 Bergin Chris 2013 06 20 Reducing risk via ground testing is a recipe for SpaceX success NASAspaceflight com Archived from the original on 2017 01 18 Retrieved 2013 08 21 U S Federal Aviation Administration November 2011 Final Environmental Assessment for Issuing an Experimental Permit to SpaceX for Operation of the Grasshopper Vehicle at the McGregor Test Site Texas Archived 2017 05 13 at the Wayback Machine p 1 Elon Musk April 5 2011 Falcon Heavy Press Conference video SpaceX 27 20 We actually have been steadily acquiring the buildings around us in California So we re sort of growing like the Borg Actually almost all the buildings around us have been acquired and that s increased our capacity in California by about 50 in terms of real estate but I think we can actually do a lot more with the existing physical locations we have Actually I really like density I like a beehive of activity and people fairly close together I think it creates a much better esprit de corps You may have seen the announcement that in Texas we have more than doubled the size of our rocket development facility in Texas which is where we do development and acceptance testing of the rocket engines and stages and that s in anticipation of a lot more growth So we re now at over 600 acres in Texas Mohney Doug 2011 09 26 SpaceX Plans to Test Reusable Suborbital VTVL Rocket in Texas Satellite Spotlight Archived from the original on 2016 08 04 Retrieved 2011 11 23 Reusable rocket prototype almost ready for first liftoff Spaceflight Now 2012 07 09 Archived from the original on 2013 05 21 Retrieved 2012 07 13 SpaceX has constructed a half acre concrete launch facility in McGregor and the Grasshopper rocket is already standing on the pad outfitted with four insect like silver landing legs Commercial Space Data Active Permits FAA Data amp Research U S Federal Aviation Administration Archived from the original on May 2 2014 Retrieved 2013 11 19 Permit no EP 12 008 Company Space Exploration Technologies Corporation Vehicle Grasshopper Location Texas Expiration Oct 17 2014 SpaceX SpaceX September 18 2013 Texas Spotlight With 11 test stands incl our 82m Falcon 9 tripod our 900 acre TX site averages 2 tests day Tweet via Twitter a b Gwynne Shotwell 17 March 2015 Statement Of Gwynne Shotwell President amp Chief Operating Officer Space Exploration Technologies Corp SpaceX PDF Congressional testimony US House of Representatives Committee On Armed Services Subcommittee On Strategic Forces Archived PDF from the original on 28 January 2016 Retrieved 2016 01 11 SpaceX s 4 000 acre Rocket Development Facility in Central Texas includes 12 test stands that support engine component testing design qualification and acceptance testing of Merlin engines structural testing of the first and second stages and fully integrated stage testing for full mission durations The state of the art facility has remote and or automatic controls and high speed data acquisition systems and post test data are available for analysis upon test completion McGregor City modifies SpaceX rocket testing rules KWTX10 News 2016 05 10 Archived from the original on 2016 06 03 Retrieved 2016 08 29 Berger Eric 10 August 2016 SpaceX has shipped its Mars engine to Texas for tests Ars Technica Archived from the original on 18 August 2016 Retrieved 18 August 2016 Atkinson Ian 14 October 2019 SpaceX renovating former Falcon 9 test stand at McGregor NASASpaceFlight com Retrieved 15 October 2019 https twitter com elonmusk status 1183813898748563456 title Elon Musk says SpaceX s next Texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near Waco url https www dallasnews com business technology 2021 07 10 elon musk says spacexs next texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near waco work Dallas Morning News date 10 July 2021 access date 11 July 2021 elonmusk July 10 2021 We are breaking ground soon on a second Raptor factory at SpaceX Texas test site This will focus on volume production of Raptor 2 while California factory will make Raptor Vacuum amp new experimental designs Tweet via Twitter Lindsey Clark 2013 05 07 SpaceX to test Grasshopper reusable booster at Spaceport America in NM NewSpace Watch Archived from the original on 2015 01 18 Retrieved 2013 05 07 SpaceX Joining Virgin Galactic at Spaceport America Sci Tech Today 2013 05 08 Retrieved 2013 05 09 SpaceX will be paying 6 600 a month to lease a mobile mission control facility and will pay the state 25 000 per launch Abbot Joseph 2013 05 07 SpaceX moving Grasshopper testing to New Mexico Waco Tribune Archived from the original on 2017 12 31 Retrieved 2013 05 08 Leone Dan 2013 05 13 SpaceX Leases Pad in New Mexico for Next Grasshopper Tests SpaceNews Archived from the original on September 3 2013 Retrieved 2013 08 03 Robinson Avila Kevin 2013 10 24 Countdown to launch Albuquerque Journal Archived from the original on 2014 04 07 Retrieved 2014 04 03 David Leonard 2014 05 07 New Mexico s Spaceport America Eyes SpaceX Virgin Galactic Flights Inside Outer Space Archived from the original on 2014 08 08 Retrieved 2014 07 30 Businesses prepare for first flight Archived 2014 08 08 at the Wayback Machine Las Cruces Bulletin Alta LeCompte 11 July 2014 accessed 30 July 2014 Messier Doug 2014 10 21 New Mexico Legislators Look into Spaceport America Finances Parabolic Arc Archived from the original on 2014 10 23 Retrieved 2014 10 23 Klotz Irene 2015 02 19 SpaceX bypassing replacement for lost Falcon 9R landing test vehicle Portal To The Universe Archived from the original on 2015 12 25 Retrieved 2015 12 24 Bergin Chris 2015 04 10 SpaceX conducts tanking test on In Flight Abort Falcon 9 nasaspaceflight com Archived from the original on 2015 05 04 Retrieved 2015 05 10 Berger Eric 5 August 2014 Texas SpaceX announce spaceport deal near Brownsville MySanAntonio com Archived from the original on 27 February 2017 Retrieved 2014 08 05 SpaceX breaks ground at Boca Chica beach Brownsville Herald 2014 09 22 Archived from the original on 2017 06 12 Retrieved 2014 09 22 Dean James 2013 04 03 Proposed Shiloh launch complex at KSC debated in Volusia Florida Today Archived from the original on 2014 04 13 Retrieved 2013 04 06 Details Emerge on SpaceX s Proposed Texas Launch Site Space News 2012 04 16 p 24 SpaceX is considering multiple potential locations around the country for a new commercial launch pad The Brownsville area is one of the possibilities Rush Johna Strickland 2012 11 15 Spaceport could land in Camden Tribune amp Georgian Archived from the original on 2013 02 04 Retrieved 2012 11 20 Perez Trevino Emma 2012 09 13 Sanchez Texas offering 6M Florida giving 10M Brownsville Herald Retrieved 2012 09 16 permanent dead link FAA Notice of Intent to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement PDF Federal Aviation Administration 3 Apr 2012 Archived PDF from the original on 29 July 2014 Retrieved 15 June 2017 SpaceX Proposes New Texas Launch Site 2012 Archived from the original on 9 May 2013 Retrieved 15 June 2017 Martinez Laura 2012 04 10 Brownsville area candidate for spaceport The Monitor Archived from the original on 2012 04 14 Retrieved 2012 05 12 Berger Eric 2012 05 25 Texas reaches out to land spaceport deal with SpaceX Houston Chronicle Archived from the original on 2012 05 28 Retrieved 2012 05 27 Foust Jeff 2013 04 01 The great state space race The Space Review Archived from the original on 2017 02 05 Retrieved 2013 04 03 Martinez Laura B 2013 04 15 FAA shares SpaceX EIS report The Brownsville Herald Archived from the original on 2020 04 26 Retrieved 2013 04 17 no impacts would occur that would force the Federal Aviation Administration to deny SpaceX a permit for rocket operations near Brownsville Sheetz Michael 19 January 2021 SpaceX bought two former Valaris oil rigs to build floating launchpads for its Starship rocket CNBC Retrieved 19 January 2021 Burghardt Thomas 19 January 2021 SpaceX acquires former oil rigs to serve as floating Starship spaceports NASASpaceFlight Retrieved 20 January 2021 Mosher Dave 16 June 2020 Elon Musk SpaceX is building floating superheavy class spaceports for its Starship rocket to reach the moon Mars and fly passengers around Earth Business Insider Archived from the original on 17 June 2020 Retrieved 30 December 2020 Foust Jeff 2023 04 02 SpaceX drops plans to convert oil rigs into launch platforms SpaceNews Retrieved 2023 04 02 title Elon Musk says SpaceX s next Texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near Waco url https www dallasnews com business technology 2021 07 10 elon musk says spacexs next texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near waco work Dallas Morning News date 10 July 2021 access date 11 July 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SpaceX facilities amp oldid 1216038193 SpaceX high altitude test facility 2C New Mexico, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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