SpaceX is looking to dramatically increase the number of Starship launches from its Starbase facility in Texas, with a new proposal that would allow the company to launch its massive rocket more than 450 times annually.
According to a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) filing, the FAA will study the environmental impact of letting SpaceX fly as many as 456 Starship missions, with 912 landings, from Boca Chica each year in a programmatic EIS. That would represent an enormous increase from the current authorization of 25 launches and 50 landings annually.
The expansion would happen in two phases.
Phase 1 would raise the annual cap to 100 launches and 200 landings, with no day-of-week or time-of-day limits.
The second phase would raise those limits to 456 launches and 912 landings annually. At that point, launches would be restricted to Monday through Friday, although they could still take place during the day or night. The agency expects Phase 2 could follow within a few years.
That works out to approximately 1.75 launches every weekday, a significant increase from SpaceX’s current testing schedule.
The proposal also accounts for Starship and Super Heavy boosters returning to Starbase after launching from other locations, with the landing limits applying regardless of where a flight originated.
Before any expansion can be approved however, the FAA must complete a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement examining potential effects on wildlife, air quality, noise, coastal resources, and surrounding communities.
Residents can weigh in at sessions in Brownsville (Nov. 17) and Port Isabel (Nov. 19) or online on Nov. 18, with written comments accepted through November 30, 2026.
If approved, the expansion would support what the FAA’s notice describes as “a mature program launching more than 100 times annually.”
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