October 14, 2026
SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, intends to increase the number of launches of its “Starship” spacecraft to 456 flights annually from the “Starbase” facility in the US state of Texas, as part of an ambitious plan that is currently subject to review by the relevant government agencies.
In the same context, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced, according to Bloomberg, that it will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact of the project, which also includes implementing up to 912 landing operations annually, in addition to holding public meetings to discuss its various repercussions.
According to the work plan, the project will be implemented in two phases: The first begins with a rate of 100 launches and 200 landings annually, with these numbers gradually increasing over the coming years to reach the final target of 456 launches.
Through this step, the company seeks to accelerate the pace of space flights by relying on the reuse of the “Starship” vehicle and its “Super Heavy” booster rocket, instead of manufacturing new parts for each flight separately.
While the company’s current licenses allow it to conduct only 25 launches and 50 landings per year from the same facility, the new plans raise growing concerns regarding potential environmental repercussions and potential disruption to air traffic in the region.
