SpaceX Eyes Roberts Road Expansion at Kennedy Space Center as Flight 16 Nears

First reported 25 Oct, 18:21 UTCSource: NASASpaceFlightLast editorial activity 25 Oct, 18:21 UTCWrite a comment ↓

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SpaceX is preparing its Gigabay and launch pad at Kennedy Space Center to receive Booster 23 and Ship 43, while the company has applied to enlarge its Roberts Road campus from 167 acres to nearly 400 acres, according to NASASpaceFlight.com.

Preparations for Booster 23 and Ship 43

Both Booster 23 and Ship 43 have completed cryo-proof testing, and the Gigabay and pad at Kennedy Space Center must be ready to host them before they ship from Starbase. SpaceX is pressing ahead with that work even as it readies Flight 15, which is scheduled for November and follows a successful Static Fire test at Starbase on Sunday.

Launch-side progress at LC-39A has been more modest in recent months. SpaceX has added two more Liquid Methane storage tanks, which completes that side of the tank farm. Once they are connected, the site is expected to hold nearly 5,000 metric tons of LCH4 for launches, about 3.8 stacks' worth.

Roberts Road's growing footprint

Roberts Road has served SpaceX since 2021, when the first phase of Hangar X opened there. The campus was later extended westward to create a Starfactory for Starship with two Mega Bays, although SpaceX built Hangar X-2 but never completed those Mega Bays. The hangar was subsequently given over to Dragon processing, Starlink payload processing and, eventually, a bakery for Starship tiles.

Facilities on the site began as a place to store and refurbish Falcon 9 boosters after flight, when the pad hangars became overcrowded. That hangar was later expanded to house more Falcon 9s and refurbish fairings. SpaceX also dropped plans to build those for Starship as its focus shifted to Starbase, Texas.

The proposed expansion

In January 2025 SpaceX received a further extension north of Hangar X for Starship operations, including a Starfactory and a Gigabay. Since then the company has built the first Gigabay and installed at least one transfer-aisle bridge crane.

SpaceX, together with NASA, has now applied to expand the campus from 167 acres to nearly 400 acres. The plan would add Project Ignition ship static-fire stands, a new road linking Roberts Road to NASA Parkway just south of it, and a PPF. Further Gigabays could follow depending on how many ships and boosters the company plans to build. The proposal is a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment and must go through a public comment period before final approvals.

Open questions

Will the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment clear public comment and final approval?
When will Booster 23 and Ship 43 be shipped from Starbase to Kennedy Space Center?
Will SpaceX begin a Starfactory in Florida?