SpaceX is planning to invest at least $1.8 billion to build new Starship launchpads and processing facilities on Florida's Space Coast. The project could bring an estimated 600 new jobs to the area.
Elon Musk's SpaceX has been looking to build new Starship launchpads near its primary launch sites in Florida, reports Reuters. The company is eyeing two Florida launchpads - one close to its primary launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which is already under construction, and another potential site nearby at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Ahead of SpaceX's eighth attempt to launch Starship from Texas on Monday, the company announced it is building a 380-foot tall, 815,000 square foot "Gigabay" facility where it will assemble future Starship rockets before shipping them to the launchpad.
"The project includes at least $1.8 billion of SpaceX capital investment and will bring an estimated 600 new full-time jobs in the Space Coast by 2030," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' office said in a statement.
SpaceX has not yet secured regulatory approvals to launch Starship from Florida.The project is undergoing environmental reviews.
The U.S. Air Force is leading a review into how Starship launches in the state would impact the local environment. A draft report of SpaceX's plans and its environmental impact is expected to be published in the spring, followed by a regulatory decision later this year on whether to green-light those plans, Reuters reports.