{"id":633849,"date":"2026-05-10T01:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/633849\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T01:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:00:20","slug":"spacexs-gigabay-facility-rises-in-florida-ahead-of-starship-launches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/633849\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX’s Gigabay facility rises in Florida ahead of Starship launches"},"content":{"rendered":"

As SpaceX prepares for its next Starship launch from Texas \u2014 the version of the rocket expected to launch from Florida<\/a> \u2014 the company\u2019s massive Starship maintenance facility continues to rise on the Kennedy Space Center<\/a> skyline.<\/p>\n

Its name is Gigabay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The building’s looming metal structure with black siding is easily visible from across the Indian River in Titusville. Situated at SpaceX\u2019s Robert\u2019s Road facility within KSC, it stands as a new landmark not too far from NASA’s massive Vehicle Assembly Building.<\/p>\n

As Starship nears, SpaceX’s Gigabay rises at Kennedy Space Center<\/p>\n

1 of 14<\/p>\n

Construction continues on SpaceX\u2019s Gigabay facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL March 17, 2026. The facility will be used to construct Starship spacecraft. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n

The project first came to attention in Feb. 2025 when a document listed with the Federal Aviation Administration outlined plans for the Florida Gigabay.<\/p>\n

Construction began in Fall 2025 and is expected to last until August 2026. With NASA’s Artemis program set to utilize Starship as a human lunar lander possibly as soon as 2028, this timeline adds up.<\/p>\n

Starship is poised to eventually launch from KSC’s Pad 39A and Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and work is well underway by SpaceX to prepare for the first Florida flight.<\/p>\n

At 380 feet tall, the Starship Gigabay is shorter than NASA’s 525-foot Vehicle Assembly Building but will still stand out near Cape Canaveral, offering the public a clear view of SpaceX’s new operations.<\/p>\n

Similar to the SpaceX facility in Texas, the Gigabay is intended for stacking and preparing the 232-foot-tall Super Heavy boosters (lower stages) before launch. When Starship is fully assembled on the launch pad, its height exceeds 400 feet.<\/p>\n

Why SpaceX Starship will launch from Florida<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s giant Starship launch system will be used for both private endeavors and for NASA and Space Force missions.<\/p>\n

Starship is currently under contract as a lander for NASA’s Artemis Program, as well as NASA’s Launch Services Program<\/a>, which would use it to send future NASA science missions into space.<\/p>\n

As for private endeavors, it will be used to deploy satellites such as SpaceX’s Starlink, which SpaceX successfully tested during the last two test flights from Texas using mockup Starlink satellites, which were dispensed from a payload slot in the ship.<\/p>\n

The vehicle was also touted as SpaceX’s ticket to Mars, yet with NASA’s renewed goal of a sustained presence on the moon, SpaceX says it is ready to assist in NASA’s Artemis missions.<\/p>\n

SpaceX has Cape Canaveral facilities and already is manufacturing Starship tower segments in Florida and shipping them to Texas by barge. SpaceX is also manufacturing 1000 Starship heatshield tiles per day in the Cape Canaveral \u201cbakery<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

When Starship does arrive in Cape Canaveral, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has teased it will be ferried from Texas by a barge named \u201cYou\u2019ll Thank Me Later<\/a>“. The barge has already been spotted making stops at Kennedy Space Center with undisclosed cargo.<\/p>\n

Recently, SpaceX’s “Just Read the Instructions”<\/a> drone ship was pulled from Falcon 9 landings to prepare for Starship operations. “Just Read the Instructions” had supported Falcon 9 booster landings following launches out of Cape Canaveral in rotation with the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” drone ship.<\/p>\n

Starship as a lander for NASA\u2019s Artemis Program<\/p>\n

Starship is under a $4.4 billion contract to act as the human lander for NASA\u2019s Artemis IV mission, which will return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972.<\/p>\n

In a recent move, NASA shifted that lunar landing goal from Artemis III to Artemis IV, yet the 2028 timeline remains.<\/p>\n

Blue Origin is contracted to meet this need as well with its Blue Moon Mark II lander. Mark II will be launched atop the company\u2019s New Glenn rocket.<\/p>\n

During the Artemis III mission, which is slated for 2027, the Artemis Program\u2019s Orion spacecraft will practice docking with one or both of these landers in Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin launch schedule in Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

When will Starship launch from Florida?<\/p>\n

As soon as April, SpaceX is set to launch the first of its V3 Starship from Starbase, which is in the vicinity of Boca Chica, Texas. This is the first launch of the version that will eventually launch from Florida.<\/p>\n

SpaceX is banking on Starship making its debut Florida launch as soon as this year, but the company has repeatedly stated it will not launch until it is ready and safe to do so.<\/p>\n

Final work is being done at the first Florida launch site, with evidence of work being started over at Launch Complex 37 as Starship launch tower segments traveled past the NASA press site and SpaceX\u2019s new cargo barge delivered hardware.<\/p>\n

Local concerns remain, ranging from structural damage from the rocket\u2019s vibrations, road closures near Playalinda Beach, and airspace closures. However, the FAA environment review passed earlier this year stating SpaceX was permitted to procced with upwards of 88 launches per year \u2014 including roughly 44 booster landings and 44 ship landings.<\/p>\n

Starship is designed to be fully reused, with the goal of returning both the Super Heavy booster and Starship back to a launch site. While SpaceX has demonstrated it can return the booster, it has yet to successfully return the Starship itself.<\/p>\n

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at\u00a0bedwards@floridatoday.com<\/a>\u00a0or on X:\u00a0@brookeofstars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Gigabay facility rises ahead of Starship launches from Florida<\/a><\/p>\n