SpaceX Starbase

SpaceX Starbase
Starbase sign with production site in the background
Map
LocationBrownsville, Texas, United States
Coordinates25°59′15″N 97°11′11″W / 25.98750°N 97.18639°W / 25.98750; -97.18639
Established2014; 10 years ago (2014)
OperatorSpaceX
Launch pad(s)1 operational, 1 under construction
OLP-A launch history
StatusActive
Launches6
First launchApril 20, 2023
(Flight 1)[1]
Last launchNovember 19, 2024
(Flight 6)
Associated
rockets		Starship
OLP-B launch history
StatusUnder construction
Launches0
Associated
rockets		Starship

Starbase is an industrial complex and rocket launch facility that serves as the main testing and production location for Starship launch vehicles, as well as the headquarters of the American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX.[2] Located at Boca Chica, near Brownsville, Texas, United States, Starbase has been under near-continuous development since the late 2010s, and comprises a spaceport near the Gulf of Mexico, a production facility at Boca Chica village, and a test site along Texas State Highway 4.

When initially conceptualized in the early 2010s, its stated purpose was "to provide SpaceX an exclusive launch site that would allow the company to accommodate its launch manifest and meet tight launch windows."[3] The launch site was originally intended to support launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles as well as "a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles".[3] In early 2018, SpaceX announced a change of plans, stating that the launch site would now be used exclusively for SpaceX's next-generation launch vehicle, Starship.[4] Between 2018 and 2020, the site added significant rocket production and test capacity. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk indicated in 2014 that he expected "commercial astronauts, private astronauts, to be departing from South Texas,"[5] and eventually launching spacecraft to Mars from the site.[6]

Between 2012 and 2014, SpaceX considered seven potential locations around the United States for the new commercial launch facility. For much of this period, a parcel of land adjacent to Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas, was the leading candidate location, during an extended period while the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted an extensive environmental assessment on the use of the Texas location as a launch site. Also during this period, SpaceX began acquiring land in the area, purchasing approximately 41 acres (170,000 m2) and leasing 57 acres (230,000 m2) by July 2014. SpaceX announced in August 2014 that they had selected the location near Brownsville as the location for the new non-governmental launch site,[7] after the final environmental assessment was completed and environmental agreements were in place by July 2014.[8][9][10] In 2023, the Integrated Flight Test-1 of Starship made it SpaceX's fourth orbital-class launch facility, following three launch locations that are leased from the US government.

SpaceX conducted a groundbreaking ceremony on the new launch facility in September 2014,[11][5] and soil preparation began in October 2015.[12][13] The first tracking antenna was installed in August 2016, and the first propellant tank arrived in July 2018. In late 2018, construction ramped up considerably, and the site saw the fabrication of the first 9 m-diameter (30 ft) prototype test vehicle, Starhopper, which was tested and flown March–August 2019. Through 2021, additional prototype flight vehicles were being built at the facility for higher-altitude tests. By late 2023, over 2,100 full-time employees were working at the site.[14]

The development of Starship has resulted in several lawsuits against the FAA and SpaceX from environmental groups.[15][16] Some conservationists have expressed concern over the impact of Starship's development in Boca Chica, Texas, on species like the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea-turtle,[15] nearby wildlife habitats[17] and national-refuge land.[18]

  1. ^ "NASA chief hails SpaceX's 1st Starship launch despite explosion". Space.com. April 20, 2023. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Space Exploration Technologies Corp".
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference faa201304v1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 201805pressConference was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference sn20140922 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bh20140927 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Berger, Eric (August 4, 2014). "Texas, SpaceX announce spaceport deal near Brownsville". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Elon Musk's Futuristic Spaceport Is Coming to Texas". Bloomberg Businessweek. July 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  9. ^ Klotz, Irene (July 11, 2014). "FAA Ruling Clears Path for SpaceX Launch site in Texas". Space News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference bh20140729 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference bh20140922 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference vmn20151022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference krgv20160118 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Clark, Steve (December 13, 2023). "Starbase general manager discusses future plans at invite-only Brownsville event". MyRGV.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Center for Biological Diversity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "SpaceX sued by environmental groups, again, claiming rockets harm critical Texas bird habitats". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ Leinfelder, Andrea (November 29, 2023). "Spectators of SpaceX rocket may be damaging critical bird habitats in Texas, regulators say". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "SpaceX sued by environmental groups, again, claiming rockets harm critical Texas bird habitats". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.