SpaceX to reduce number of Florida launches until Starship debut
SpaceX will significantly reduce the number of launches from the spaceport on Florida’s coast until it begins Starship flights from the region. As Ars Technica reports, the last scheduled launch of Starlink satellites by a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral has already taken place.
SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev said that Starlink missions from Florida will subsequently be carried out by Starship. The team at Vandenberg Base in California, he said, will continue regular Starlink launches from the US West Coast.
The launch pace will decline
By the end of the year, and possibly longer, the number of launches from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center may decrease from eight or nine to approximately two per month. Both sites are located next to each other on Florida’s east coast and are part of a shared launch area.
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Last year, SpaceX conducted 165 Falcon 9 launches—an average of about three flights per week. About 75% of these missions were dedicated to placing Starlink satellites into orbit. According to the publication, the last launch from Florida set a new record: the Falcon 9 first stage that carried out the mission completed its 37th flight.
Plans for Starship
Going forward, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets launching from Florida are expected to carry customer payloads. The next Falcon Heavy launch is scheduled for August 30: the rocket is to deliver NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. In mid-September, a Falcon 9 is expected to deliver the next crew of four to the International Space Station.
SpaceX still plans to begin launches of the Starship system with the Super Heavy booster from Launch Complex 39A by the end of the year. At the same time, Ars Technica notes that due to the substantial amount of site preparation work and the lack of signs that Starship will be transported quickly from Texas, the system’s debut from the Kennedy Space Center is more likely by mid-2027. Starship can deploy up to 60 version 3 Starlink satellites in a single launch.
