The world’s most-flown rocket may start flying even more.
U.S. regulators have completed a key environmental review that paves the way for SpaceX to more than double the number of Falcon 9 launches from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In addition to the annual launch increase from 50 launches to up to 120, the Federal Aviation Administration’s environmental review also approved a new on-site landing zone that could accommodate up to 34 booster landings per year. These boosters are the reusable first-stage portions of Falcon 9 rockets that SpaceX lands and refurbishes for future flights.
The review, finalized on Wednesday, found what’s known as a “Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact,” meaning the proposed changes “would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment” under federal law, with impacts reduced by specific protective measures.
Those measures include obtaining additional environmental permits before construction of the new facilities, using sea turtle-friendly lighting at night, and conducting pre-construction surveys of Florida scrub-jay and eastern indigo snake populations to ensure wildlife protection.
Regarding water management, the review concluded it is highly unlikely for industrial wastewater — specifically the huge volumes of water discharged by the deluge system during launch — to discharge into nearby waters.
The deluge system, which sprays massive amounts of water onto the launch pad during liftoff to absorb heat and sound from the rocket engines, has been contentious. At SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Texas, environmental groups sued local regulators over authorizations allowing the company to discharge industrial wastewater from the pad.
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Wednesday’s environmental approval is just one step in the process. SpaceX still needs the FAA to officially modify its launch license to allow the higher launch numbers. The Department of the Air Force must also approve the changes since the launch pad sits on Space Force property.
The approval paves the way for SpaceX to continue its trend of ramping up Falcon 9 launches each year. Launch frequency has climbed sharply in recent years, going from 60 launches per year in 2022 to 132 in 2024.
Even as the most-launched rocket in the world, SpaceX still has a crowded manifest. It conducts launches for commercial customers, the Department of Defense, and its own Starlink internet satellites. The launch increase should ease this bottleneck. The dedicated landing zone could also shorten booster turnarounds, as the company will not need to rely on landing the booster offshore on a drone ship as frequently.
The decision is part of a much broader multi-site push by SpaceX to increase its launch cadence. The company is also looking to expand on the West Coast, with plans to launch as many as 100 Falcon launches per year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Meanwhile, regulators are also reviewing a proposal that would allow for an increase in Starship launches — SpaceX’s much larger rocket designed for Moon and Mars missions — from both Texas and Florida.
