A second base
The Space Coast Ends the Single-Site Era
Florida adds pads and, uniquely, a second full production chain — not just a launch site.
SpaceX is building Starship launch, integration and eventually manufacturing on Florida’s Space Coast, across Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The near-term pieces are three launch pads and a Gigabay at Roberts Road for integration and refurbishment. The longer-term piece is a full Starship factory at Roberts Road with a footprint about 50% larger than Starfactory in Texas. Until it opens, completed boosters and ships are barged from Starbase to build up a Florida fleet.
Florida matters because it decouples launch cadence from a single stretch of Texas coast, adds eastern-range trajectories, and puts Starship next to the pads and workforce that already fly Falcon. Building
The three pads
LC-39A Leads; SLC-37 Adds Two More
One historic pad nearly ready, two more under construction on Space Force land.
| Pad | Capacity | Status | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center | Up to 44 launches / 88 landings a year | FAA approved Starship operations February 2026 after a 16-month review. Ridge-cap and bucket deluge testing has begun; first Florida launch possible before the end of 2026. The Apollo and Shuttle pad, leased by SpaceX since 2014 | Building |
| SLC-37A, Cape Canaveral | Part of a ~76/yr two-pad complex | Launch mount under construction; first-level pieces and top-deck deluge sections placed through mid-2026. Space Force land | Building |
| SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral | Second pad of the complex | Planned alongside 37A; earlier stage | Projected |
The 44-launch, 88-landing figure for LC-39A is the count that shows recovery is designed in from the start: two recoveries per launch, one booster and one ship. SLC-37 sits under Space Force control, which makes it the likely home for national-security missions.
Roberts Road
Florida’s Gigabay Is Ahead of Starbase’s
The Space Coast integration building topped out first, and a factory is planned beside it.
| Facility | Scale | Status | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabay, Roberts Road | 380 ft · 815,000 ft² · 24 cells · 400-ton cranes | Structural steel finished by July 2026; roof and cladding near complete, both smaller doors installed. Integration and refurbishment for Space Coast flights | Building |
| Starfactory, Florida | ~50% larger than Starbase’s | Planned at Roberts Road to build Florida’s own ships; being planned as the Gigabay finishes | Projected |
| Cocoa & Cape Canaveral tile line | Heat-shield silica | Cocoa purifies silica into slurry; tiles produced at a Cape Canaveral facility | Observed |
Work is already split: Starbase builds ship-side hardware while Roberts Road builds booster stands, so a vehicle shipped from Texas meets the stands waiting in Florida. That division is the visible start of Florida becoming a producer rather than a receiver.
Barged from Texas
Until the Factory Opens, the Vehicles Come by Water
The stopgap that lets Florida fly before it can build.
To start Florida launches before the local manufacturing, integration and refurbishment facilities are finished, completed Super Heavy boosters and Starship upper stages are transported from Starbase to the Space Coast by barge. It is the same marine-logistics chain used to recover ships from the ocean — covered on Recovery & Landing — and it makes the first Florida launches Texas-built vehicles flown from a Florida pad.
Contested
Deliberately Not Claimed
The load-bearing uncertainties, tagged with the confidence they actually earn.
“First Florida launch in 2026” is a target. LC-39A is close, but a firm date depends on the final launch license, not just the environmental clearance. Deluge testing having begun is a good sign, not a schedule.
The SLC-37 ~76/yr figure is a single secondary source. The two-pad annual capacity is reported but not as firmly grounded as the LC-39A cap, which sits in the FAA record. Treat it as indicative.
The Florida Starfactory is planned, not built. Its size is stated; its timeline is not. Until it exists, Florida cannot build a vehicle end to end.
Record
Provenance and Data Sources
- Confidence
- Building for pads and the Gigabay — Projected for the Florida Starfactory
- Status date
- Q3 2026
- Pads
- FAA LC-39A environmental approval (February 2026); NASASpaceFlight Space Coast coverage (July 2026)
- Gigabay
- SpaceX March 2025 statement; Roberts Road construction reporting
- Weakest link
- The LC-39A launch license and the Florida Starfactory timeline