SpaceX announced on Monday that it is expanding its Starship production and launch operations to Florida with the construction of an integration facility, Gigabay, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the continued development of the Starship launch pad at Launch Complex 39A.

The company is also evaluating Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for potential Starship operations, pending environmental assessments.

“SpaceX was founded with the ultimate mission of making humanity multiplanetary, and Starship is the vehicle that will enable us to become a spacefaring civilization,” said Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX’s Vice President of Launch. “Through this significant expansion of Starship production and launch capabilities in Florida, we’re taking a big step toward achieving this goal, and we are grateful to our partners across the State for their ongoing support.”

Gigabay, located near SpaceX’s HangarX facility at Kennedy Space Center, will stand 380 feet tall and encompass 815,000 square feet of workspace. The facility will include 24 work cells and cranes capable of lifting up to 400 tons. Site preparations have begun, with completion targeted for late 2026. A similar Gigabay facility is under construction at Starbase, Texas, adjacent to the company’s Starfactory manufacturing complex.

Until a Florida-based production facility is operational, SpaceX will transport completed Starship upper stages and Super Heavy boosters from Texas via barge for launches from the Space Coast. Plans are underway for a manufacturing site in Florida similar to Starfactory to enable local production of Starship vehicles.

“Florida is the present and future of the space industry with leading space companies — like SpaceX — investing in the Free State of Florida,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “We welcome SpaceX’s Starship to our state.”

SpaceX will continue development of its Starship launch site at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, where a launch tower was erected in 2022. In the coming months, the company said that crews will install a sound suppression and cooling deflector system, modeled after the one being implemented for Starship’s second launch pad at Starbase. Pending environmental approvals, SpaceX plans to conduct its first Florida-based Starship launch from LC-39A in late 2025.