FAA Opens New Environmental Review for Starship Operations at Cape Canaveral

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Plans to bring SpaceX’s Starship launch system to Cape Canaveral have entered another federal review as the Federal Aviation Administration evaluates proposed commercial operations from Space Launch Complex 37.
The FAA published a Notice of Intent on Sept. 29 announcing preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Starship-Super Heavy operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX is seeking a modification to its existing FAA vehicle operator license that would authorize Starship launches and landings associated with SLC-37.
The proposal under review allows for as many as 76 Starship-Super Heavy launches per year.
It also includes as many as 152 annual landings — up to 76 Super Heavy booster landings and 76 Starship landings — using a combination of return-to-launch-site and ocean recovery operations.
The Department of the Air Force previously completed an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed redevelopment of SLC-37 in 2025.
That review examined the same maximum launch and landing cadence and concluded that the proposed operations, with mitigation measures in place, would not create significant environmental impacts except in the area of noise.
The Air Force subsequently issued a Record of Decision allowing SpaceX to begin certain construction and prelaunch activities.
According to the FAA, SpaceX has since started developing infrastructure at SLC-37 in preparation for possible future Starship operations.

However, commercial launches cannot begin until the FAA completes the licensing process.
The supplemental study focuses on several elements that were not fully addressed in the earlier environmental review, including temporary airspace closures, additional return-to-launch-site trajectories and a proposed contingency landing area offshore.
SLC-37 has a long history in U.S. launch operations. The complex most recently supported United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV family, including the Delta IV Heavy, before the vehicle’s retirement.
Redeveloping the site for Starship would represent a major change in both launch vehicle scale and operational cadence.
SpaceX is also pursuing Starship operations from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, potentially giving the company two Florida launch sites for the fully reusable vehicle.
The FAA is accepting public comments as part of the scoping process before preparation and release of a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Completion of the environmental review would not itself authorize Starship launches. SpaceX would still need the appropriate FAA launch license modifications before commercial Starship-Super Heavy flights could begin from Cape Canaveral.