SpaceX Considering Texas Launch Site For Falcon 9 Commercial Rockets
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX is considering a new launch site in Texas. Details of the site were revealed in an April 9 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) document that sought environmental review ahead of construction. According to the FAA the new site would be used “to launch orbital and suborbital launch vehicles […]
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX is considering a new launch site in Texas. Details of the site were revealed in an April 9 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) document that sought environmental review ahead of construction.
According to the FAA the new site would be used “to launch orbital and suborbital launch vehicles from a private site in Cameron County in southern Texas,” flights from that area would fly directly over the Gulf of Mexico.
Building the new facility will allow SpaceX to handle up to 12 commercial launches per year and the site would specifically support SpaceX’s Falcon 9 medium rocket. The launch site would also support the Falcon heavy launcher however no paying customers have signed on yet to use that launcher.
SpaceX recently signed a $1.6 billion control with NASA and the company already plans to launch some of its Dragon space capsules from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The contract will fly cargo to the International Space Station.
In November SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company was considering launch sites in Alaska, California, Florida, Texas and Virginia. At this time SpaceX is not saying whether any one of those other suggested areas have been ruled out.