The 50,000 foot view
The Federal Aviation Administration released the Final Environmental Impact Statement and its Record of Decision regarding the matter this morning. The Record of Decision approves SpaceX to operate Starship-Super Heavy at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, clearing the final major regulatory hurdle for the company’s next-generation launch vehicle on Florida’s Space Coast.
Now, SpaceX needs to complete the build out its infrastructure at LC-39A, relocate Starship flight hardware from Boca Chica, Texas to KSC, and obtain the necessary FAA launch license(s) to launch the 408.1 feet (124.4 meter) tall rocket. It will be the most powerful rocket to ever launch from the Eastern Range, eclipsing the venerable Saturn V, New Glenn and even SLS Block I.
The decision authorizes up to 44 Starship-Super Heavy launches and 88 landings annually—44 each for the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage. Ocean landings on droneships in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans are also permitted.
The approval follows a 16-month environmental review process that began with a Notice of Intent published in May 2024, included multiple public comment periods, and culminated in the Final Environmental Impact Statement released today.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| 🚀 Approved Operations | |
| Annual Limits |
Approved 44 launches • 88 landings (44 Super Heavy + 44 Starship) • 88 static fires
|
| Infrastructure |
Approved ~800,000 sq ft improvements: launch mount, catch tower, propellant generation (methane liquefier, air separation unit), storage tanks, deluge ponds, water system (~518,000 L/launch) |
| ⚠️ Significant Environmental Effects | |
| Emissions |
Significant NOx: 385.66 tons/yr (54% over threshold, 4.35% of Brevard County) GHG: 217,354 MT CO2e/yr (319% over threshold, 2.81% of county) |
| Noise |
Significant Sonic booms exceed 60 dB CDNL on 28,595 acres off-KSC • Up to 82% awakening probability at night • Outdoor levels exceed 97 dB max at locations outside KSC/CCSFS |
| Air Traffic |
Significant Avg delay: ~40 min (up to 2 hrs) • Ground stops at Core 30 FL airports • Coordination with Canada, Bahamas, Mexico, Central America, Cuba |
| 🚧 Access Restrictions | |
| Closures |
Tests: ~396 hrs/yr (4.5%) • Launches/reentries: ~462 hrs/yr (5.3%) • Total: ~10% of year (half day/half night) NPS revenue impact: $239K–$423K/yr (13–24% loss to Canaveral National Seashore) |
| 🐢 Wildlife Conditions (USFWS) | |
| Training & Surveys |
Required All personnel: wildlife training before onsite work (species ID, sea turtle/scrub-jay/indigo snake/manatee protocols) • Pre-construction biological surveys required • Lighting Operations Manual for sea turtle season |
| Manatee |
Required Dedicated observer on vessels in Indian River Lagoon • 50 ft minimum distance • ≤10 knots where observed • No wake/idle near docks |
| 📊 Required Monitoring | |
| Species |
Monitoring Scrub-jay: 70% banded in 1 yr, 90% in 3 yrs; census pre/post breeding Sea turtle: Mar 1–Oct 31; 8 light surveys/yr; all hawksbill/Kemp’s ridley/leatherback nests monitored Beach mouse: Habitat use, survival, reproduction, population density |
| Physical |
Monitoring Noise: 3 events each for SH/Starship static fires, launches, landings (15 total) Vibration: Loggers at 0.3 mi, 15″ deep; min 3 launches |
| 🐋 Marine Conditions (NMFS) | |
| Distance & Vessel |
Required Activities ≥5 nm from coast (≥1 nm within 50 mi of LC-39A) • No coral reef landings • Dedicated observer on recovery ops • 300 ft from mammals, 150 ft from turtles • ≤10 kts near mother/calf |
| Right Whale |
Required 1,500 ft minimum distance • Nov–Apr: SH and Starship cannot both land in critical habitat same flight • No landings in active Slow/Dynamic Mgmt Areas • Flight reports within 30 days until full reusability |
| 🏛️ Historic Preservation (NHPA) | |
| Structures |
Monitoring 9 structures monitored through first 5 launches + 5 SH landings + 1 Starship landing: St. Gabriel’s Church, Pritchard House, Walker Apts (Titusville); Cocoa Jr High, Aladdin Theater (Cocoa); Cape Canaveral Lighthouse (CCSFS); John Sams House, St. Luke’s Church (Merritt Island); Beach House (KSC) Programmatic Agreement executed Nov 22, 2025 with FL SHPO & Seminole Tribe
|
| 📋 Public Notice & Coordination | |
| Notifications | Launch schedules via news outlets, KSC SIMS, NASASpaceflight.com, Florida Today app, Brevard County Emergency Mgmt |
| Claims | Property damage: insurance@spacex.com (SpaceX carries insurance per Commercial Space Launch Act) |
| Annual Meetings |
Required USFWS: Jan 1–31 annually (NASA, SpaceX, FAA, USFWS, NPS, USSF) • NHPA: November annually |
| Record of Decision: SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy at LC-39A, KSC | Signed: Jan 29, 2026 by Katie L. Cranor, FAA | FAA Project Page | |
Milestones To Launching Starship From Kennedy Space Center
Updated today:
| Status | Milestone | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Notice of Intent PublishedFAA | May 10, 2024 | FAA initiated the EIS process via Federal Register publication |
| Complete | Public Scoping PeriodFAA | May–Jun 2024 | Public input gathered on scope of environmental review; ended June 24, 2024 |
| Complete | Draft EIS ReleasedFAA | Aug 4, 2025 | Draft EIS published for up to 44 launches and 44 landings per year |
| Complete | Draft EIS Comment PeriodFAA | Aug 4–Sep 29, 2025 | Hearings at KSC (Aug 26), Cape Canaveral (Aug 28), virtual (Sept 3); view comments |
| Complete | Final EIS PublicationFAA | Jan 30, 2026 | Final EIS published addressing all public comments |
| Complete | Record of Decision (ROD)FAA | Jan 30, 2026 | ROD issued with decision, mitigations, and monitoring requirements |
| Ongoing | Infrastructure CompletionSpaceX | Mid-2026 (proj.) | Launch mount (installed Nov 2025), tank farm, deluge system, chopstick upgrades |
| Pending | Vehicle Operator LicenseFAA | Expected 2026 | New or modified launch license for Starship-Super Heavy at LC-39A; FAA project page |
| Upcoming | First Starship LaunchSpaceX | 2026 (targeted) | Initial vehicles transported from Starbase, Texas via barge |
| Lead Agency: FAA | Cooperating: NASA, Dept. of Air Force, Coast Guard, Fish & Wildlife, National Park Service | Updated: Jan 30, 2026 | |||
FAA Documents
The original documents are at the FAA’s Project Website, located here
Executive Summary
Record of Decision
For those who are interested in reading the minutiae of the Decision, here is a list of links to all available documents:
Final EIS Documents: SpaceX Starship at LC-39A
Kennedy Space Center • Published January 30, 2026
The electronic versions of the Final EIS and ROD are available for download from the FAA website.
- Executive Summary
- Resumen Ejecutivo (Executive Summary – Spanish)
- Record of Decision (ROD)
- Final EIS – Volume I
- Appendix A: Public and Agency Involvement
-
Appendix B: Agency Consultations
- Appendix B1 USFWS Part 1
- Appendix B1 USFWS Part 2
- Appendix B1 USFWS Part 3
- Appendix B1 USFWS Part 4
- Appendix B2 NMFS EFH
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 1
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 2
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 3
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 4
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 5
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 6
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 7
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 8
- Appendix B3 NHPA Part 9
- Appendix B4 Section 4(f)
- Appendix B5 Coastal Consistency
- Appendix B6 NMFS ESA Part 1
- Appendix B6 NMFS ESA Part 2
- Appendix B6 NMFS ESA Part 3
- Appendix B6 NMFS ESA Part 4
- Appendix B7 MMPA
- Appendix C: Supplemental Information
- Appendix D: Applicable Regulations