Starship on the Bayou
Cape Canaveral S.F.S. FL- In some exciting news from SpaceX, it was announced that this latest launch of Falcon 9 and the StarLink 10-49 Mission would be the last StarLink flight from Florida aboard the workhorse of SpaceX. StarLink 10- launched an hour and a half before sunrise. Lofting the mission was booster B1067 making its 37th launch and landing.
While the Falcon 9 is not yet retired, StarLink will now be flown from Florida on the massive Starship once the infrastructure is ready to support launch operations.
StarLink 10-49 Image By: Michael Seeley - We Report Space
Just hours later, SpaceX made a huge announcement they would be building a massive Starbase in southern Louisiana along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (America).
Starbase Louisiana Rendering Credit: SpaceX
In a statement from Elon Musk:
“We’re preparing to build a spaceport that, until now, has only existed in science fiction,” SpaceX Founder & CEO Elon Musk said. “SpaceX was founded to bring about a future where humans are out exploring amongst the stars, which will only be possible when we make going to space as routine as flying on an airplane. Starbase, Louisiana will unlock that future. Thank you Governor Landry and the people of Louisiana for joining us on this journey and for their help in the years ahead as we work together to build one of the most inspirational places on the planet.”
In a press release from SpaceX:
“This self-sustaining spaceport is being designed from the ground up to have everything necessary to dramatically increase the rate at which Starship can launch. The site will include 10 Starship launch pads, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport. Additionally, the location in southern Louisiana comes with access to abundant natural gas, which SpaceX will use for the site’s power stations and to liquefy onsite into the liquid methane that fuels Starship.” A presentation video is available on the SpaceX website:
Starbase Louisiana Rendering Credit: SpaceX
In a statement from the Gov. of Louisiana:
“Today is a pivotal moment for Louisiana. This announcement pushes our state beyond $250 billion in new investment and puts us at the center of the next great frontier,” Governor Jeff Landry said. “We have the people and talent to build what the world once thought impossible, creating jobs on land, across the Gulf and through space. Our job creation knows no bounds. This is America First. This is Louisiana First. I want to thank Elon Musk and the entire SpaceX team for choosing Louisiana.”
With the building of 10 launch pads, this will surpass Florida which currently has really only five actively used launch sites. LC-39A and B on Kennedy Space Center with LC-37, LC-40 and 41 on the Cape Canaveral S.F.S are seeing a lot of use. Of those five, SpaceX uses 2 of them. NASA, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin use the additional three.
Story By: Michael Howard - We Report Space
Starlink Launch Image By: Michael Seeley
SpaceX Louisiana Images By: SpaceX