Elon Musk’s SpaceX Considers Moving Starship Orbital Launches to Florida | WSJ

Elon Musk said SpaceX may move its Starship rocket tests from its South Texas Starbase to a Florida location. WSJ Reporter Micah Maidenberg explains why SpaceX is considering moving and what a move could mean for Starship’s development. Photo Illustration: Alexander Hotz/WSJ

More from the Wall Street Journal:

#SpaceX #ElonMusk #WSJ

[CorwinPatrick]

Total Click Bait title. SpaceX does not need to "Consider" moving to Florida. It's doing Both, and has always intended to do Both.

[pobembe]

If the FAA had been in charge there would never have been cars, roads, airplanes or airports.

[PsychicThursday]

SpaceX is the definition of a company with things to do and places to be. Is the FAA environmental assessment taking longer than parts of Starship's development? Okay, they just spool up Phobos and Deimos development and pivot to Florida. Unlike some companies, SpaceX moves at the speed of progress and aren't making excuses to slow down.

[jaridkeen]

I work for the Aerospace industry in the Space Coast of Florida. We always knew Starship would come to the Space Coast.

[actionjksn]

They keep screwing around with them and Boca Chica is gonna end up being a ghost town and all that money will be going to Florida. His patience is about used up and I don't blame him.

[Marcus-ftbj]

"fiery failures" during testing? Have this narrator never read anything about Spacex? Pushing the limits on every test is part of their rapid development.
"If things are not failing, you're not innovating enough. " - Elon Musk

[issawrapppp]

Can't blame him. Just move to FL and let the FAA kick rocks.

[Matthew-rpjf]

As a fellow Texan, those complaining can kick rocks

[donjeep]

When BFM (STARSHIP) started, Musk chose both FL and TX. for development. Then throttled down FL and concentrated on TX.. Even if there were not all these politically motivated delays at TX, Florida was always going to be a Starship cite. Both are coastal sites so if will not be impossible to build in TX and launch from FL.

[joenichols]

Come to Florida! We love SpaceX here. I go to the launches like its a freakin football game haha

[bardr]

This is one of the most important endeavors we as a planet is doing right now, to set it back would be foolish. For anything else I would have understood, but not for cheap access to space.

[anyoneanyone]

WSJ actually did a YouTube video on the negative impact of Starbase for local residents last year. What’s more important, Karen’s lawn or humanity becoming a multi-planetary species?

[zachdobszewicz]

Dumb, we need space for the advancement of humanity! Let Elon do whatever he wants, he will get the job done and we will all be amazed by the product when he does. Having Texas and Florida both flight operational is far better than just one and there’s no debate there…also more jobs.

[markmaugle]

The FAA is strong arming Space X. Remember that Kennedy Space Center is in the middle of an estuary. The Military space launch site in MD is also in the middle of an estuary.

[rd]

If you let the clown folks that are worried about noise and "wildlife" for this, you can never build anything loud or do anything loud again. Give me a break folks, stop living in this little bubble where no one can do anything if anyone or anything is bothered. Wildlife will be ok even if there is loud noises and so will people, if you don't like it...then move. Progress still has to be able to be made for the species to be able to move forward, we can't just never do anything because folks and "wildlife" will be bothered by loud noises.

[jaykay]

Moving the project forward is more important than environmental scrutiny and delay and unnecessary added costs. FAA must approve and move on.

[Raptor]

Starship was coming to the cape whether or not the FAA approves launches. Boca Chica is far from the perfect launch site, and frequent orbital launches probably aren't a good idea.

[gort]

Does anybody else besides me think that Steve Dickson was asked to resign from the FAA, only a few days after he extended the Environmental Assessment of Starbase for the second time? Hopefully this will expedite the licensing process and allow SpaceX to launch Booster 4 from Texas, I'd hate to see all that money and effort go to waste. I know Elon said there would only bee a 6-8 month delay in a worst case scenario, but that's Elon time. If and when a launch license is granted I'd expect smiles all around, then quickly back to business. But a party in the penthouse of the High Bay would be nice, I'd love to see that live streamed.

But if Elon did move operations to Florida, and he wanted to launch booster 4 and SN20 from there, how would he transport it? I'm guessing it'll have to be by barge, driving it there might require too many adjustments to the infrastructure along the way. Cheers.

[jazzynupexbox]

Also the way Elon thinks, He considers the MANURACTURING along with the engineering. So with Texas he was able to rapidly develop the manufacturing template and now can build it in Florida instead of constantly revising the site in Florida. And they would be able to have 2 sites building starships but the Texas site using the drilling rigs instead of the land site.

[lukefreeborn]

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress in trading you're still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying