Space nerds, buckle up. SpaceX just scored a huge regulatory win that’s about to take Falcon 9’s already big launch schedule and crank it way, way up. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has completed a major environmental review that clears the way for Elon Musk’s rocket factory to more than double launches out of Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — from 50 per year to as many as 120. Yes, that means there could be a Falcon 9 leaving Earth every three days on average.
But that’s not all. The review also gave SpaceX permission to build a new on-site booster landing zone, which could handle up to 34 landings per year. For context, those boosters are the reusable first stages of Falcon 9 — the part that drops back down to Earth, lands upright like sci-fi magic, and then gets cleaned up for another flight. Think of it like recycling on steroids.
The environmental report wrapped up with what regulators call a “Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact.” Translation: as long as SpaceX plays nice with a few rules (like wildlife surveys for scrub-jays and snakes, turtle-friendly lighting at night, and water management safeguards), then blasting rockets twice as often won’t wreck the environment.
This also settles a hot topic: the deluge system. That’s the massive water blast you see flooding the pad during liftoff to control sound and heat. Environmentalists had concerns after lawsuits in Texas, but Florida’s review says the wastewater here is unlikely to contaminate nearby waters.
Of course, this isn’t the final stamp of approval. SpaceX still needs an updated FAA launch license and a sign-off from the U.S. Space Force (since the pad is on their turf). But make no mistake — this is a major step toward keeping up with demand.
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