Public paper · October 14, 2026 · Space desk
FAA Opens Scoping on SpaceX Plan for Up to 456 Starship Launches a Year From Starbase, Texas; Comments Due November 30, Public Meetings in Brownsville and Port Isabel
The Federal Aviation Administration published a notice on October 14, 2026 that it will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement on SpaceX's proposal to raise Starship-Super Heavy operations at the Boca Chica Launch Site at Starbase, Texas, from today's 25 launches a year to as many as 456 launches and 912 landings, and to expand Starship landing and expenditure areas; scoping comments are due November 30, with in-person meetings November 17 in Brownsville and November 19 in Port Isabel.
noticenearby.com/papers/faa-spacex-starship-starbase-peis-456-launches-comments-nov-30.pdf
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a notice of intent in the Federal Register on October 14, 2026 to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on a proposal by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to increase Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations at the Boca Chica Launch Site at Starbase, Texas, and to expand Starship landing and expenditure locations.
The notice opens a public scoping period. The FAA asks agencies, Native American Tribes, organizations and members of the public to comment on alternatives, impacts and relevant studies by November 30, 2026. A Draft PEIS will be released for public review later.
What SpaceX is allowed to do now
According to the FAA, SpaceX is currently authorized to conduct up to 25 launches a year and 50 landings a year (25 Starship and 25 Super Heavy) at the Boca Chica Launch Site. The FAA describes the site as an exclusive-use launch site and SpaceX's primary research, development and flight test facility for Starship-Super Heavy.
What the PEIS will study
- A maximum annual capacity of up to 456 launches originating from Boca Chica and up to 912 landings there.
- Phase 1: up to 100 launches and 200 landings a year (100 Starship, 100 Super Heavy). Launches and landings could occur on any day or time of the week.
- Phase 2: up to 456 launches and 912 landings a year. Launches could occur at any time of day but only Monday through Friday. The FAA says this phase represents a mature program and would be implemented within several years.
- For analysis, the FAA assumes half of launches and landings at night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and half during the day.
- Super Heavy would land at the launch site, make a soft water landing in the Gulf of America, or be expended in flight. Starship would land at the launch site, make a soft water landing in the Gulf of America or the broad open ocean, or be expended in the broad open ocean.
- Launch azimuths would range from 40 to 115 degrees. Starship landing trajectories would range from 155 to 185 degrees and 240 to 340 degrees.
The FAA lists the resource areas the PEIS will cover, including air quality, biological resources (fish, wildlife and plants), coastal resources, Section 4(f) and 6(f) lands, farmlands, hazardous materials, historical and cultural resources, land use, noise, socioeconomics and children's health and safety risks, visual effects, and water resources including wetlands and floodplains. Temporary airspace closures tied to the proposal are part of the FAA's federal action.
The FAA is also starting National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 consultation and is consulting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Alternatives
The FAA says other sites are not reasonable alternatives because Boca Chica already has the needed infrastructure. The only alternative to the proposal is No Action, under which SpaceX would keep operating at the cadence approved in the FAA's 2025 Final Tiered Environmental Assessment for increased Starship cadence at Boca Chica in Cameron County.
Public scoping meetings
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026: 1–3 p.m. and 5:30–7:30 p.m. Central, Texas Southmost College, Jacob Brown Auditorium, 600 International Blvd., Brownsville, TX 78520.
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026: virtual meeting, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Central. The link and call-in number will be posted on the FAA project website.
- Thursday, November 19, 2026: 1–3 p.m. and 5:30–7:30 p.m. Central, Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center, 309 Railroad St., Port Isabel, TX 78578.
The in-person meetings are open-house style. Verbal comments can be given to a court reporter, or written comments left at commenting stations. English-Spanish translation will be provided for verbal comments, and English and Spanish presentations will be posted by November 10. Requests for other accommodations are due by November 2.
How to comment
- Online at regulations.gov, docket FAA-2026-12808. Comments are posted publicly without changes, including any personal information.
- By mail to Ms. Amy Hanson, FAA Environmental Protection Specialist, SpaceX Boca Chica, c/o Kimley-Horn, 767 Eustis Street, Suite 100, St. Paul, MN 55114.
Source
- Federal Aviation Administration, "Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), Open Public Scoping Period, and Hold Public Scoping Meetings on the Proposed SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy Launch and Landing Operations at the Boca Chica Launch Site at Starbase, Texas and Expansion of Starship Landing and Expenditure Locations," 91 FR 65289, FR Doc. 2026-20963, October 14, 2026 (federalregister.gov/d/2026-20963).
- FAA project website: faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship.
Notes and sources
- Image: SpaceX's Starbase launch site at Boca Chica, Texas, with ground support tanks and the launch tower under construction, 2021 (file photo). Photo: Alexander Hatley via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
- Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
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Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).