By The Star Queen · Star Queen Chronicles
Header photo: Two kinds of crewed rockets on the sister pads at Kennedy Space Center: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 on Pad 39A and NASA’s SLS on Pad 39B (April 2022). Credit: NASA/Jamie Peer
Rockets get the attention, but I have a soft spot for launch pads. 💛 Without them, nothing leaves the ground, and right now they are being built, rebuilt and argued over at an astonishing pace. Here’s my guide to who is expanding where, with a clear line between approved and proposed.
Why the Rush?
The Space Force says there were 175 orbital launch attempts last year from Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg. It projects those bases will need to handle about 700 launches a year by 2036, according to Ars Technica. That is the pressure behind almost everything below.
Florida’s Space Coast 🌴
Kennedy’s Pad 39A. SpaceX’s Starship tower here is nearly finished and moving into acceptance testing, according to SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman on October 1. NASASpaceflight says the first Starship launch from Florida could come with Flight 16, which an FAA planning slide shown October 22 lists tentatively for December 10. That date and the site aren’t confirmed, and SpaceX still needs an FAA license. The FAA has completed an environmental review for Starship at 39A that analyzes up to 44 launches a year, but finishing the review doesn’t guarantee a license. Starship ships are barged to the Cape, and the next stop is the SpaceX Roberts Road facility, where a Gigabay is planned.
Cape Canaveral’s SLC-37. SpaceX has approval for as many as 76 launches a year between SLC-37’s two pads, per Space.com. SLC-37 is also where SpaceX plans more Starship launches.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn pads. In mid-October, Blue Origin announced a big expansion across Florida, according to Spaceflight Now and Ars Technica:
- Two new pads on top of the LC-36A rebuild and LC-36B (under construction), with a goal of multiple flights per week by the end of the decade.
- Two more landing ships, in addition to Jacklyn.
- A payload processing facility built with the Space Force.
- A $330 million upper-stage factory of about 1.37 million square feet, due in summer 2027.
- Blue Origin says it has invested about $3 billion in Florida and employs 5,000 people there.
Blue Origin’s return to flight from LC-36A is tentatively targeted for December 28, according to the same FAA planning slide, though Ars Technica thinks the first few months of 2027 is more likely. The FAA is working on an environmental assessment to raise LC-36A’s license from 12 to 50 launches a year. Public comments are open until October 30, per the FAA’s website. Counting the pads under construction is messy: NASASpaceflight says Bezos mentioned four pads, including Vandenberg’s SLC-14 and a rumored LC-46, so I’d treat the exact number as unclear.
ULA’s Vulcan is expanding in its own way. The company now has a second rocket-stacking building, called VIF-A, per Ars Technica, which should help it fly more often once Vulcan is cleared again.
Starbase, Texas 🌵
SpaceX’s Starbase has Pad 2, which has hosted the V3 flights. Pad 1 is being renovated, NASASpaceflight says.
The FAA has started a new environmental review for Starbase, according to NASASpaceflight. The first phase would raise the limit from 25 launches and 50 landings a year to 100 and 200. A second phase could go as high as 456 launches and 912 landings. This is only at the scoping stage. Nothing is approved.
Louisiana: The Big One 🦆
SpaceX says it will build a $100 billion Starbase Louisiana in Vermilion Parish, in southern Louisiana. Here’s what Louisiana Economic Development says:
- At full build-out, the site would have five launch complexes with two pads each, plus propellant farms and a production facility.
- Construction would begin by the end of 2027, with the first launch as soon as 2029.
- SpaceX expects about 3,000 direct jobs over the next 10 years.
- The project still needs wetlands, environmental and launch reviews. Each agency has its own say.
Other outlets and Musk have talked about larger numbers of pads or towers. NASASpaceflight said “more than 10,” for instance. I’d go with the state’s figures for now.
The Space Force Wants a Third Heavy-Launch Range
Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, who leads Space Systems Command, said this week the Space Force needs a third heavy-lift spaceport by 2030. But he also said that no site has been chosen and there’s no decision timeline, according to Ars Technica. Options on the table include a new federal base, state land, a public-private partnership, or leasing commercial land. Ars notes that could even include SpaceX’s Louisiana site. NASA’s Wallops in Virginia and Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex are existing smaller sites.
Blue Origin is also in talks to take over SLC-14 at Vandenberg. The Space Force chose it in April for final discussions, according to NASASpaceflight, and the site needs a full environmental review.
One surprising Cape item: Ars Technica’s October 9 Rocket Report, citing The War Zone, mentions laser-based drone defenses around the Cape. I haven’t confirmed the details independently, so I’m just flagging it.
Around the World 🌏
- China: NASASpaceflight says new commercial pads at Hainan (pads 3 and 4) are finishing checkouts, and a debut for the Long March 10B is expected there before year-end, per unofficial reports. China has also completed eight sea launches this year.
- India: ISRO chief V. Narayanan said on October 24 that India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, including a 2,000-acre small-rocket complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu.
- Europe: Ariane 6 continues to launch from French Guiana, but I don’t have new pad news to report.
The Star Queen’s Take 👑
The Space Coast is getting busier, the FAA’s reviews will shape how fast things grow, and Louisiana will test how fast a brand-new spaceport can get built. Launch pads move more slowly than rocket hardware, and approvals matter as much as concrete. I’ll be checking back on the FAA’s decisions!
Keep reading: Artemis III’s Starship test vehicle is planned to launch from Florida, as I explain in my Moon post, and my launch-providers post covers who else is flying. Coming Friday, Oct. 30: my Mars post.
Sources
- Ars Technica, Space Force third spaceport (Oct. 23): https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/senior-commander-says-space-force-needs-new-spaceport-by-2030/
- Space.com, Pad 39A and SLC-37 (Oct. 7): https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/things-are-going-super-well-at-39a-spacex-gearing-up-to-launch-starship-from-florida-for-1st-time
- NASASpaceflight, Flight 15 and 16 milestones (Oct. 18): https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/spacex-flight-15-16-milestones/
- Ars Technica, Blue Origin’s expansion (Oct. 16): https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/blue-origin-is-going-all-in-on-the-new-glenn-rocket/
- NASASpaceflight, LC-36 rebuild (Oct. 11): https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/blue-origin-lc-36-rebuild-new-glenn/
- FAA, New Glenn draft environmental assessment: https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholderengagement/blue-origin-new-glenn
- Louisiana Economic Development, SpaceX in Vermilion Parish: https://www.opportunitylouisiana.gov/spacex
- Ars Technica Rocket Report (Oct. 9): https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/rocket-report-a-rare-falcon-9-scrub-is-it-just-about-vulcans-time-to-shine/
- NASASpaceflight, China roundup (Oct. 21): https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/china-roundup-102026/
- Hindustan Times/PTI, ISRO roadmap (Oct. 25): https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/isro-plans-four-functional-launch-pads-by-2029-outlines-gaganyaan-mission-roadmap-sslv-complex-kulasekarapattinam-tamil-nadu-101792908657184.html
- Behind The Black, FAA tentative dates for Starship and New Glenn (Oct. 22): https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/faa-provides-tentative-dates-for-two-starship-launches-and-next-new-glenn-launch/
- FAA, Starship-Super Heavy at Kennedy Space Center LC-39A: https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship_ksc