On September 29, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and opened public scoping for SpaceX’s proposed Starship-Super Heavy operations at Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The proposal sets annual ceilings of up to 76 launches and 152 landings; commercial operations associated with the site require an FAA modification to SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator license.
What the proposed annual limits cover
The proposal sets a ceiling of up to 76 launches and 152 landings per year. The landings are divided between the Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle:
| Proposed annual operation | Ceiling | Breakdown |
| Starship-Super Heavy launches | Up to 76 | Launches per year |
| Landings | Up to 152 | Up to 76 Super Heavy booster landings and up to 76 Starship landings per year |
The proposed landing operations include returns to the launch site and ocean landings. The FAA notice names the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Gulf of America, for the proposed ocean-landing elements.
What the FAA review covers
The FAA’s SEIS is intended to supplement the Department of the Air Force’s 2025 environmental impact statement (EIS) for redevelopment at SLC-37 and proposed Starship-Super Heavy operations. The FAA identified temporary airspace closures, Department of Transportation Section 4(f) resources, a proposed contingency landing area and aspects of potential return-to-launch-site trajectories as subjects for additional analysis.
The FAA described the 2025 Air Force review as finding no significant environmental impacts other than noise for the proposed action, with mitigation and adaptive management measures. The FAA’s review will assess the proposed action and a No Action Alternative; under the latter, the agency would not issue the license modification or associated temporary airspace closures.
The license requirement and next stated milestone
The environmental review is separate from the license change required for commercial operations. SpaceX must obtain a modification to its existing vehicle operator license before conducting commercial Starship-Super Heavy launches and landings associated with SLC-37.
The FAA set October 14, 2026, as the deadline for comments on the SEIS’s scope and content. The agency said it would release a draft SEIS later for public review and comment.
