Record of Decision

Artist’s rendering of Starship on its launch mount at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center

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.

FAA Record of Decision: SpaceX Starship at LC-39A Kennedy Space Center • Signed Jan 29, 2026
Category Details
🚀 Approved Operations
Annual Limits Approved
44 launches • 88 landings (44 Super Heavy + 44 Starship) • 88 static fires
  • Super Heavy: LC-39A catch or Atlantic Ocean droneship/expendable
  • Starship: LC-39A, Atlantic/Pacific/Indian Ocean droneship or water landing
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:

SpaceX Starship Approval Milestones: LC-39A Kennedy Space Center • FAA Environmental Impact Statement & Launch License Process
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

SpaceX-SSH-LC-39A-Final-EIS_Executive-SummaryDownload

Record of Decision

SpaceX-SSH-LC-39A-Final-EIS-RODDownload

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.
Source: FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation | All documents in PDF format
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Starship Heavy lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas to start the IFT-6 mission. Photo: Richard Gallagher, FMN
Starship tower under construction in 2022 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Starship tower under construction in 2022
Photo: Charles Boyer

Things are hopping over at Kennedy Space Center. The Artemis II crew is preparing for humanity’s first crewed mission around the Moon in over 50 years, and Crew-12 awaits its turn to rotate astronauts aboard the International Space Station. That’s keeping NASA and its contracting partners working hard and tightly focused on the missions.

At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration is on the verge of completing its environmental review of SpaceX’s plan to launch Starship from Launch Complex 39A.

The FAA’s first estimated completion date for the Final Environmental Impact Statement is January 30, 2026 — today — according to the federal permitting dashboard. While it may not be released today, it does indicate that the document and the Record of Decision will be released soon.

What’s At Stake

SpaceX could receive regulatory clearance to operate the world’s most powerful rocket from the same complex where Apollo 11 and dozens of Space Shuttle missions got their starts.

None of those historic missions ever concluded at LC-39A, however, and that’s part of what SpaceX is planning to do fairly regularly at KSC: launching Starship Heavy and landing Starship missions there after their job in space has been completed. Their proposal kicked off the process whose middle act could conclude any day now.

Where We Are In The Process

SpaceX Starship LC-39A Approval Milestones
SpaceX Starship Approval Milestones: LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center FAA Environmental Impact Statement & Launch License Process
Milestone Date Status Details
Notice of Intent Published
FAA		 May 10, 2024 Complete FAA initiated the EIS process via Federal Register publication
Public Scoping Period
FAA		 May–June 2024 Complete Public input gathered on scope of environmental review; ended June 24, 2024
Draft EIS Released
FAA		 August 4, 2025 Complete Draft EIS published for up to 44 Starship launches and 44 landings per year
Draft EIS Public Comment Period
FAA		 Aug 4–Sept 29, 2025 Complete Public hearings held at KSC (Aug 26), Cape Canaveral (Aug 28), and virtually (Sept 3)
Final EIS Publication
FAA		 Q1 2026 (expected) Pending FAA will address all public comments and issue the Final EIS
Record of Decision (ROD)
FAA		 ~Jan 30, 2026 (est.) Pending FAA issues ROD with decision, mitigations, and monitoring requirements
Per permits.performance.gov estimated completion date
Vehicle Operator License Issuance
FAA		 After ROD Upcoming New or modified commercial launch license for Starship-Super Heavy operations at LC-39A
Infrastructure Completion
SpaceX		 Mid-2026 (projected) Upcoming Launch mount (installed Nov 2025), tank farm, deluge system, chopstick upgrades, service structure outfitting
First Starship Launch from LC-39A
SpaceX		 2026 (targeted) Upcoming Initial vehicles will be transported from Starbase, Texas via barge
Lead Agency: FAA  |  Cooperating Agencies: NASA, Dept. of the Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service
Source: FAA Stakeholder Engagement Portal, Federal Register, permits.performance.gov  |  Updated: January 2026

The FAA Isn’t NASA Though…

At Kennedy Space Center, NASA and the FAA have distinct roles. NASA manages the spaceport and leases LC-39A to SpaceX. On the other hand, the FAA has authority over commercial launch licensing, and, as the responsible agency, it must complete an independent environmental review before SpaceX can launch or land Starship from the site.

“While the 2019 Environmental Assessment prepared by NASA provides an analytical baseline, the environmental impacts of these proposed changes to Starship-Super Heavy LC-39A development and operations will be specifically analyzed in this EIS,” the FAA noted in its project documentation.

The scope has changed dramatically since that 2019 assessment. SpaceX now proposes up to 44 Starship launches per year — nearly double the original 24 — along with booster catches at the pad using the company’s signature “chopstick” tower arms, a capability that didn’t exist when NASA issued its original Finding of No Significant Impact.

The FAA released its Draft EIS on August 4, 2025, triggering a public comment period that closed on September 29. The agency held public hearings at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, and online, collecting feedback that must be addressed in the Final EIS before a Record of Decision can be issued.

Now the Final Environmental Impact Statement is on deck, and that could come out any day.

Meanwhile, Back At The Rocket Ranch…

SpaceX hasn’t sat on its hands waiting for regulatory approval. The company has transformed LC-39A over the past year, pivoting from a Starship tower not being worked on to an active construction site steadily advancing toward operational status.

The most visible progress came in November 2025, when SpaceX transported a new orbital launch mount from its Roberts Road manufacturing facility to the pad. The original mount design was scrapped earlier in 2025 in favor of hardware matching the company’s latest configuration at Starbase in Texas.

Other work continues as well — construction of a tank farm to store propellants, outfitting the service structure and more. Clearly, SpaceX expects good news in the EIS and ROD, and given that Starship is an integral part of Project Artemis, it’s fair to say that those two legal hurdles are effectively fait accompli, and that when they are released, they will be positive for this ongoing project.

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SpaceX Starship Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX just cleared a major hurdle for bringing Starship to Cape Canaveral.

The Department of the Air Force has officially signed off on a plan that lets SpaceX redevelop Space Launch Complex 37 for Starship and Super Heavy operations.

Their Record of Decision lays out how the company can rebuild the pad, transport hardware, and eventually fly and land the massive booster and ship right here on the Space Coast.

The approval covers everything from construction work to vehicle processing to road upgrades. Phillips Parkway and Old A1A inside Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will be widened so Starship hardware can move between the Cape and Kennedy Space Center.

The Record Of Decision Document

CCSFS-Starship-ROD_FINAL_SIGNED_508Download


“No Practical Alternative”

The Air Force says there is no practical alternative to building at SLC-37, but it requires a long list of safeguards. Environmental controls were the most prominent conditions, including dust control, flood and hurricane resilience, noise-reduction systems, wildlife protections, historic-site monitoring, stormwater controls, and plans for wetlands and habitat restoration.

SpaceX must also cover the costs of any permanent habitat loss and follow strict rules for species such as the southeastern beach mouse, the Florida scrub-jay, and the gopher tortoise.

Practical Effects

Residents can expect traffic controls during construction and high-profile launches, continued public notifications for loud events and sonic booms, and a dedicated process for handling damage claims. The document also outlines how SpaceX and the Space Force will coordinate with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Canaveral National Seashore, and nearby agencies to minimize disruptions.

With the decision signed on November 20, 2025, the path is now open for SpaceX to add Starship to Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy on the Eastern Range, marking another major expansion of launch activity on the Space Coast. The final lease agreement, pad construction and last but not least, Starship completing its development phase still remain, of course, so it will be a while before Starship launches here…but it won’t be a very long while.

See also: Department of the Air Force Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement For Starship At SLC-37

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