The Space Coast is set to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program as the company expands its operations beyond its Starbase headquarters in Texas.

SpaceX announced plans to construct a massive integration facility, called “Gigabay,” near its HangarX site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), alongside a new Starship launch pad at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A).

Gigabay Rises on the Space Coast
The proposed Gigabay facility, located just across the river from Titusville at KSC, will stand 380 feet tall and boast 46.5 million cubic feet of interior space, including 815,000 square feet of workspace. Designed to support Starship and Super Heavy vehicles up to 266 feet tall, Gigabay will feature 24 work cells for integration and refurbishment, along with cranes capable of lifting 400 US tons.

Compared to SpaceX’s Megabay facilities in Texas, the Space Coast Gigabay offers over 11 times the workspace and significantly enhanced capacity, marking a major leap forward for Starship production on the Space Coast.

Site preparations for Gigabay are already underway, with construction expected to wrap up by the end of 2026. SpaceX also plans to build a co-located manufacturing facility—similar to its Starfactory in Texas—to produce Starships locally.

Until then, the company will ship completed Super Heavy boosters and Starship upper stages from Texas to Florida via barge, staging them near Titusville for initial launches. Local residents and businesses in Titusville can anticipate a surge in activity as SpaceX ramps up its presence.

Starship Launches from LC-39A
Just across the river from Titusville, SpaceX is constructing a Starship launch and catch site at LC-39A, a historic pad at KSC with deep ties to the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.

The launch tower was stacked in 2022, and in the coming months, crews will install a deflector system to manage cooling and sound suppression during Starship’s powerful launches and landings.

Drawing on lessons from its Texas pads, SpaceX aims to conduct Starship’s first Florida launch from LC-39A in late 2025, pending environmental approvals. Titusville’s skyline will soon feature the dramatic sight of Starship ascents, visible from local hotspots like the Titusville riverfront and Playalinda Beach.

SpaceX is also eyeing Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for additional Starship launches. The company has secured a limited Right of Entry to assess the site, which supported Apollo-era Saturn rockets and later Delta IV missions until 2024.

An Environmental Impact Study is underway to evaluate Starship operations at SLC-37, potentially adding another launch hub to the Space Coast’s roster.