19.11.2025

Starship to launch from Kennedy Space Center as soon as next year, per SpaceX

SpaceX's massive Starship is getting closer to a Florida launch, with a senior SpaceX official suggesting it could come as early as next year.

Kiko Dontchev, VP of Launch at SpaceX, posted to X on Nov. 16 that progress is being made towards the first Starship launch from Cape Canaveral.

Dontchev mentioned the upcoming V3 (Version 3) Starship launch from Texas as soon as January, which will be the configuration planned to launch from Florida. He followed with "soon after, the first Starship launch from the cape".

No definite date has been provided, however Dontchev posted photos of the progress at the Starship launch site at Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which recently saw the addition of a launch mount.

Starship's arrival at Cape Canaveral for launch depends on the final Space Force and Federal Aviation Administration Environmental Impact Statements, which are expected to be released by the end of the year. Some of the concerns include the potential for structural damage, airspace closures, noise levels, impacts to industries such as fishing, and even road closures.

While the massive 33 engine rocket is being designed to eventually send crews to Mars, it has been tapped by NASA to act as a lunar lander during the upcoming Artemis missions. However, with Starship yet to fly an orbital mission or demonstrate the orbital refueling needed to make the moon mission possible, NASA recently called for a faster approach from both SpaceX and Blue Origin, which also is working on a human-rated lander.

NASA is feeling the urgency to get boots back on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years as China already has announced a crewed lunar mission planned for as soon as 2030.

Meanwhile, a future Starship launch site at Launch Complex 37 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is planned.

And SpaceX's Starship plans go beyond launch pads. Right down the road at Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX's Gigabay on Roberts Road is deep into construction. The Gigabay is intended for stacking and preparing the 232-foot-tall Super Heavy boosters (lower stages) before launch. When Starship is fully assembled on the launch pad, its height exceeds 400 feet.

At 380 feet tall, SpaceX's Gigabay is shorter than NASA's 525-foot Vehicle Assembly Building but will still stand out near Cape Canaveral, offering the public a clear view of SpaceX's new launch system.

The Gigabay construction is not yet fully visible to the public.

Quelle: Florida Today