While SpaceX continues to attempt to launch flight tests at Starbase, crews are working diligently to bring the next several pads and the next production facility online. Roberts Road and LC-39A have seen significant progress, while demolition of SLC-37 continues.
Roberts Road
Over the past several months, SpaceX has been significantly expanding its operations at the Roberts Road facility in Cape Canaveral. The foundation for the first Gigbay has been a slow but intense project.
This project isn’t as simple as the foundations for the Mega Bays, where SpaceX drilled a set of piles and then poured the foundation. Which then allowed crews to place pre-fabricated modular parts until it was the correct height for the Mega Bays.
This building is far more advanced and complex; teams need to drill all of the piles for the foundation and then dig out around those piles. This part is already completed.
Next, crews will need to build a massive rebar box to fill the excavated area, which is still currently underway. Along with the rebar box, tons of conduit and embeds will be installed to help start the initial installation of the steel columns and equipment needed for this structure.
Gigabay Foundation at Roberts Road (Credit: Joe B for NSF)
Once all of this is completed, crews will then begin the concrete pour to fill in the foundation. So far, a single corner of this foundation has been poured. Once the foundation is poured and cured, crews can then start to bring in the four tower cranes that will help assemble the Gigbay. These are slated to be positioned in all four corners and will stick-build the bay until it is completed.
Stick building is a form of construction where one beam is lifted and secured in place at a time, unlike how SpaceX built the bays in Starbase with prefabricated sections. It could take at least a year or so to construct this bay, followed by the time to make all the internal workstations and work platforms.
Gigbay will consist of 24 separate work stations laid out in four rows of six. There will be two transfer aisles that span the entire length of the building, separated by a central wall. This will enable SpaceX to bring sections of new vehicles on one side and roll completed vehicles out of the other.
Roberts Road Facility with Launch Tower Construction Spots (Credit: Joe B for NSF)
To the south of the Gigaby construction site, SpaceX has completed nine new launch tower construction pads and has since relocated most of the tower construction materials to these new pads. With these new pads, and if SpaceX continues to use the older pads, crews can build two launch towers simultaneously. With the possibility of four towers at SLC-37 and possibly a catch tower at LC-39A, SpaceX has the potential for at least five towers that require fabrication.
Next door to the tower construction area is the launch mount for LC-39A. This launch mount has seen tons of progress over the past few months. Currently, all but one section of the water-cooled steel deck plate has been installed on the mount, as crews continue to make excellent progress. Based on progress on the launch mount and progress at LC-39A, the mount could roll to the pad by October or November of this year.
LC-39A OLM at Roberts Road (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
LC-39A
SpaceX has made tons of progress on the Starship pad at LC-39A in the past few months. The trench is currently fully dug out, with the rebar cage for the floor being constructed. Sheet piles are also being placed for the commodities trench that will supply the service structure and the launch mount.
Just behind the launch tower, crews have already placed a few water deluge tanks and are starting to set up the water pipes that will eventually go to the launch mount and flame deflector. To the east of the trench, SpaceX is setting up two rows of horizontal tanks to accompany the Liquid Methane (LCH4) Sphere, which will supply propellant to Starship. These will hook into what is likely to be a carbon copy of the same pump and subcooler setup SpaceX has installed for Pad 2 (B) at Starbase.
LC-39A Starship Pad Construction (Credit: Joe B for NSF)
This is nine Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Pumps and eight LCH4 Pumps, which will fill the full stack. This setup will be placed in between the two rows of propellant tanks and then fed into the commodities trench, which will then split to the tower and the launch mount.
SpaceX has stated that LC-39A could be ready for checkouts by the end of 2025. However, based on timelines for Pad 2 (B) at Starbase and considering the amount of work that remains to be completed, it is likely that this pad won’t be online until sometime in the middle of 2026.
Tank Farm and Water Deluge Equipment at Starbase Pad 2 (B) (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
SLC-37
LC-39A is not the only Starship pad that SpaceX is planning to build at Cape Canaveral. Just a few weeks ago, demolition crews destroyed the Delta IV mobile integration and service structure. With the cleanup underway, SpaceX will have to wait until the Environmental Impact Statement is completed for SLC-37 before starting construction efforts for the next set of Starship launch pads.
SLC-37 is planned to include two launch towers, with two possible catch towers if space allows. These two launch pads would connect to a central tank farm and, once completed, would bring the Starship Program’s launch pads to five. That number includes two launch pads at Starbase, one at LC-39A, and two at SLC-37.
With construction not even started since SpaceX doesn’t have a lease agreement for the pad yet, this pad would likely not be ready for flight until late 2027 or 2028 at the earliest.
SLC-37 Demolition and Cleanup Work (Credit: Joe B for NSF)
Featured Image: Historic Launch Complex 39A (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF – 100s of hi-res photos available to download for L2 members)
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