The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached a critical milestone in its environmental review process for SpaceX’s Starship operations at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The summary overview, released on Friday, is ahead of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), anticipated for release imminently, following the Draft EIS issued in August 2025 and an extended public comment period that closed in late September 2025.
The process, tracked on federal permitting dashboards, culminates in the publication of the Final EIS and a near-concurrent Record of Decision (ROD).
The EIS considers the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative, and while the successful completion of the environmental review process does not fully guarantee that the FAA would issue a new commercial launch vehicle operator license for Starship-Super Heavy activities at LC-39A, the update is an important progress milestone.
This builds on NASA’s 2019 Environmental Assessment baseline but addresses an expanded scope due to SpaceX’s revised proposals for higher operational cadence, new infrastructure, and full vehicle reusability.
The FAA identifies the need to enable SpaceX to develop, test, launch, and land Starship from Florida’s East Coast, “supporting national goals for assured space access”, complementing SpaceX’s Starbase operations in Texas, and meeting demands from commercial, NASA (including Artemis lunar missions), and national security payloads.
Based on the current approval path, SpaceX is set to have the capacity to launch Starship 146 times a year from its sites at 39A, SLC-37, and Starbase.
The overview notes LC-39A’s location offers favorable over-ocean trajectories, existing infrastructure, and proximity to established spaceport resources.
Most of the construction and modification of infrastructure at LC-39A has been undertaken, although the full operational status of the pad includes the addition of a catch tower.
The EIS notes approval for up to 44 annual Booster and Ship launches, along with up to 44 annual Super Heavy booster landings, primarily at LC-39A via tower catch, but also cites “Atlantic droneships, or expendable with ocean disposal”.
These figures represent a significant increase over prior Falcon-family activities at the pad, with Starship’s 33 Raptor engines generating substantially higher thrust and acoustic energy.
The EIS primarily compares the Proposed Action to the No Action Alternative, under which the FAA would not issue/modify the license, limiting or preventing Starship operations at LC-39A.
Other alternatives, such as different sites or reduced cadences, were scoped out or addressed in related reviews, such as the separate Cape EIS for SLC-37, which proposes up to 76 launches/landings per stage annually.
The analysis covers 14 categories, including air quality, local wildlife, and noise concerns, with most impacts deemed no impact, negligible, or less than significant.
Launches would produce higher peak levels (up to ~160-170 dB at close range) and more frequent events than Falcon vehicles. The findings note sonic booms from returning stages could affect communities; modeled as moderate but mitigable via scheduling and flight path optimization.
The EIS incorporates standard and project-specific mitigations, such as wildlife monitoring programs, noise abatement scheduling, best management practices for construction, and ongoing coordination with local bodies and NASA.
The Draft EIS (released August 4, 2025) prompted public meetings and thousands of comments, extended to late September. All substantive input was addressed in the Final EIS revisions.
The FAA concludes that the Proposed Action would not result in significant unmitigable environmental impacts, supporting license issuance under the Commercial Space Launch Act.
This detailed review clears a major hurdle for Starship’s Florida debut, potentially enabling first launches in late 2026, pending final approvals and infrastructure completion.
The review also balances accelerating reusable spaceflight and protecting Florida’s ecosystems, positioning LC-39A as a cornerstone for future lunar, Mars, and commercial missions.
Lead Image: Via Max Evans for NSF/L2.
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