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
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Update: 26.12.2025
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Flight 12 vehicles readying for 2026 opener
SpaceX is rapidly advancing the assembly of Super Heavy Booster 19 at its Starbase facility, completing stacking before the end of December, minimizing delays to the program’s next orbital flight test following the failure of Booster 18 last month.
With Ship 39 also at an advanced stage of preparation, both vehicles will next undergo a series of tests at Masseys ahead of a potential launch in the February to March timeframe.
The company has targeted rapid progress on Booster 19 to keep Starship Flight 12 — the debut of upgraded Block 3 vehicles — on track for early 2026.
Recent observations showed significant milestones: after welding the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank to the engine section (including pre-installed landing tanks and transfer tube), teams added methane tank barrels and the forward dome with its integrated hot staging ring.
By December 20, all barrel sections were delivered and stacked, achieving this in just 25 days from November 25 — half the 42 days required for Booster 17, the final Version 1 booster.
Final stacking involves completing the upper section and performing two welds to join the halves, using internal bridge cranes and a ring stand (a key visible indicator of completion). With nine days left in December, SpaceX appears poised to meet its goal.
This was then followed by a SpaceX post on X, confirming that stacking had been completed. SpaceX does not normally show such milestones, but likely saw the opportunity to portray the fast turnaround since the loss of Booster 18 via a record-setting flow for the Super Heavy.
Starship, SpaceX
Now stacked, the booster will require additional outfitting before cryogenic proof testing at Massey’s Outpost, though the timeline for test readiness remains fluid.
Progress on Ship 39, the first Version 3 upper stage and planned partner for Booster 19 on Flight 12, continues inside Mega Bay 2.
Fully stacked since November, the vehicle recently saw a swap of its composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), with several units staged outside and crane activity observed. This follows enhancements introduced after a COPV failure caused Ship 36’s destruction in June.
While unconfirmed, the timing raises questions given the location of Booster 18’s LOX tank rupture near COPV storage in the chines, though SpaceX described the anomaly only as occurring during a gas system test.
The COPV exchange suggests more internal work than anticipated at this stage. Ship 39 awaits cryogenic proof testing on the thrust simulator stand at Massey’s, which applies simulated Raptor engine loads. Post-testing, it will return to the bay for Raptor engine installation ahead of the first Version 3 static fire campaign.
Upgrades at Massey’s ship static fire area include installation of a new truss structure, potentially for improved vehicle access during engine tests.
SpaceX is validating the redesigned Version 3 engine section through test tanks, with S39.1 — the sole Version 3 ship test article to date — recently completing its role.
The tank underwent three cryogenic-loaded tests on the ship thrust simulator stand earlier this month. Last week, teams removed it from the stand and returned the stand to the Sanchez site.
It was unclear if further testing is planned for S39.1 or if its campaign is complete, freeing resources for Ship 39’s upcoming tests. However, on Monday night, the tank rolled back down Highway 4, marking the end of its testing.
These parallel efforts highlight SpaceX’s aggressive iteration on Starship’s Block 3 design, featuring enhanced performance and reusability features critical for future missions.
As far as the launch date for this first flight of Block 3, sources point to March as the most likely viable timeframe. This launch will mark numerous firsts, from the vehicle, its Raptor 3 engines, and the first use of the upgraded Pad 2 architecture that will be mirrored at Pad 1, along with 39A and SLC-37 on the East Coast.
Quelle: NSF