SpaceX
SpaceX reveals details on Falcon Heavy landing pad and Dragon facility, in new report

A draft environmental impact report by SpaceX and the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida has been recently released for public review on the environmental section of the Patrick AFB website. The report contains details on proposed new rocket landing pads, the expected sonic boom activity from the planned rocket landings, and information about a proposed Dragon capsule processing facility. The report was originally completed in December 2016.
One of the most ambitious goals of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is the triple landing of two first stage boosters and center core onto ground. All three parts together comprise twenty-seven Merlin rocket engines and generate 5.13 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Each of the first stage boosters is equivalent to the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, the landings for which have been successful four times out of the give most recent attempts.
In order to achieve a triple landing with Falcon Heavy from the east coast, SpaceX requires the construction of two new landing pads nearby the existing main pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base (CCAFB). According to the environmental report, each new pad will need to be 282 feet in diameter with an additional hard-packed, 50-foot soil “apron” surrounding the pad. The pads will further require a depth of 18 inches in order to withstand the weight and thrust energy of Falcon 9-type landings. All construction activity would take place in the area of CCAFB known as Landing Zone 1/Launch Complex 13.
In the report, SpaceX estimates six possible Falcon Heavy launches per year once development and construction are complete in addition to the previously estimated twelve Falcon 9 launches. A proposal to additionally utilize the landing zone area for a Dragon capsule processing facility is also part of the report which would measure approximately 100 x 130 x 30 feet in size.
The addition of the new landing pads would expand SpaceX’s booster recovery options; however, the company may still utilize autonomous droneships for landing purposes subsequently with the new pads. Even with the droneship option, the report further asserts that without the additional landing pads, reusability of the boosters would suffer due to recovery options only including an ocean splashdown for at least one stage of a Falcon Heavy assembly.
The full report includes complete investigation summaries of the construction and landing impacts on land use, noise, biological resources, historical resources, hazardous materials & waste, climate, and water resources along with other environmental factors.
Of particular interest is the assessment of the sound impacts on local residents. Up to 2 sonic boom events per landing stage could occur over residential areas, totaling 6 sonic booms per Falcon Heavy launch. While the sound levels would fall within mandatory range limitations, the report suggests public awareness efforts in order to “reduce surprise” upon hearing the boom events. The public comments attached as an appendix to the report were highly supportive of SpaceX’s construction proposal and overall mission.
News of the report’s release was originally reported by NASA Spaceflight after it was submitted to a forum following notification by a Patrick AFB official of its publication.
News
Starship Flight 10 rescheduled as SpaceX targets Monday launch
SpaceX said it is now targeting Monday evening for Starship’s 10th flight test.

SpaceX stood down from its planned Starship Flight 10 on Sunday evening, citing an issue with ground systems.
The launch attempt was scheduled during a one-hour window that opened at 7:30 p.m. ET, but it was called off just 17 minutes before the window opened. SpaceX said it is now targeting Monday evening for Starship’s 10th flight test.
Flight 10 rescheduled
A lot of excitement was palpable during the lead up to Starship Flight 10’s first launch window. After the failures of Starship Flight 9, many were interested to see if SpaceX would be able to nail its mission objectives this time around. Starship itself seemed ready to fly, with the upper stage being loaded with propellant as scheduled. Later on, SpaceX also noted that Starship’s Super Heavy booster was also being loaded with propellant.
However, 17 before the launch window opened, SpaceX noted that it was “standing down from today’s tenth flight of Starship to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems.” Elon Musk, in a post on X, further clarified that a “ground side liquid oxygen leak needs to be fixed.” Musk did state that SpaceX will attempt Flight 10 again on Monday, August 25, 2025.
Starship and SpaceX’s development goals
The fully integrated Starship system is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, standing over 400 feet when stacked. Composed of the reusable Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, the vehicle is central to SpaceX’s long-term ambitions of lunar and Martian missions. NASA has already selected Starship as the crewed lunar lander for Artemis, with its first astronaut landing mission tentatively set for 2027, as noted in a Space.com report.
So far, Starship has flown nine times from Starbase in Texas, with three launches this year alone. Each flight has offered critical data, though all three 2025 missions encountered notable failures. Flight 7 and Flight 8 ended in explosions less than 10 minutes after launch, while Flight 9 broke apart during reentry. Despite setbacks, SpaceX has continued refining Starship’s hardware and operations with each attempt. Needless to say, a successful Flight 10 would be a significant win for the Starship program.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship Flight 10: What to expect
SpaceX implemented hardware and operational changes aimed at improving Starship’s reliability.

SpaceX is preparing to launch the tenth test flight of its Starship vehicle as early as Sunday, August 24, with the launch window opening at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The mission follows investigations into anomalies from earlier flights, including the loss of Starship on its ninth test and a Ship 36 static fire issue. SpaceX has since implemented hardware and operational changes aimed at improving Starship’s reliability.
Booster landing burns and flight experiments
The upcoming Starship Flight 10 will expand Super Heavy’s flight envelope with multiple landing burn trials. Following stage separation, the booster will attempt a controlled flip and boostback burn before heading to an offshore splashdown in the Gulf of America. One of the three center engines typically used for landing will be intentionally disabled, allowing engineers to evaluate whether a backup engine can complete the maneuver, according to a post from SpaceX.
The booster will also transition to a two-engine configuration for the final phase, hovering briefly above the water before shutdown and drop. These experiments are designed to simulate off-nominal scenarios and generate real-world data on performance under varying conditions, while maximizing propellant use during ascent to enable heavier payloads.
Starship upper stage reentry tests
The Starship upper stage will attempt multiple in-space objectives, including deployment of eight Starlink simulators and a planned Raptor engine relight. SpaceX will also continue testing reentry systems with several modifications. A section of thermal protection tiles has been removed to expose vulnerable areas, while new metallic tile designs, including one with active cooling, will be trialed.
Catch fittings have been installed to evaluate their thermal and structural performance, and adjustments to the tile line will address hot spots observed on Flight 6. The reentry profile is expected to push the structural limits of Starship’s rear flaps at maximum entry pressure.
SpaceX says lessons from these tests are critical to refining the next-generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. With Starfactory production ramping in Texas and new launch infrastructure under development in Florida, the company is pushing to hit its goal of achieving a fully reusable orbital launch system.
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FAA clears SpaceX for Starship Flight 10 after probe into Flight 9 mishap
SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more instead of a tower capture.

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its review of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 mishap, clearing the way for the next launch attempt as soon as August 24.
Flight 9 ended with the loss of both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage, but regulators accepted SpaceX’s findings that a fuel component failure was the root cause. No public safety concerns were reported from the incident.
Starship recovery lessons
SpaceX noted that Flight 9 marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster. Unlike prior attempts, the company did not try a tower “chopsticks” recovery, opting instead for an offshore return that ended in a destructive breakup. The upper stage was also lost over the Indian Ocean.
As per the FAA in its statement, “There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property. The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation. The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a failure of a fuel component. SpaceX identified corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.”
SpaceX also highlighted that Flight 9’s debris did not harm any wildlife. “SpaceX works with an experienced global response provider to retrieve any debris that may wash up in South Texas and/or Mexico as a result of Starship flight test operations. During the survey of the expected debris field from the booster, there was no evidence of any floating or deceased marine life that would signal booster debris impact harmed animals in the vicinity,” the private space company noted.
Expanding test objectives
To mitigate risks, SpaceX plans to adjust return angles for future flights and conduct additional landing burn tests on Flight 10. SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more, instead of a tower capture, according to a report from the Boston Herald.
The upcoming Starship Flight 10, which will be launching from Starbase in Texas, will also mark SpaceX’s attempt to perform its first payload deployment and an in-space Raptor relight. Despite recent setbacks, which include the last three flights ending with the upper stage experiencing a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD), Starship remains central to NASA’s Artemis program, with a variant tapped as the human landing system for Artemis III, the first since the Apollo program.
Standing more than 400 feet tall and generating 16 million pounds of thrust, Starship remains the most powerful rocket flown, though it has yet to complete an orbital mission. The FAA has expanded SpaceX’s license to allow up to 25 Starship flights annually from Texas.
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