SpaceX has told the Federal Aviation Administration that it expects to conduct 10,000 launches per year by itself. The statement came in comments SpaceX submitted on October 26 in response to an FAA Request for Information (RFI) about new spaceports and the use of priority airspace for space launch corridors.
What SpaceX told the FAA
The FAA’s own RFI projected that U.S. activity could reach 10,000 FAA-licensed launches and reentries a year by 2035, moving from a few launches a week to several a day. SpaceX’s response was blunt: “SpaceX anticipates conducting 10,000 launches per year itself,” according to Wccftech’s reading of the filing.
- Air traffic control: SpaceX said the “FAA’s current air traffic control structure and processes are outdated and incapable of supporting a materially higher launch or reentry cadence than current levels,” as quoted by Stocktwits.
- Proposed fixes: dedicated space launch and reentry corridors, faster approvals and real-time flight tracking, aimed at raising launch frequency without major disruption to commercial aviation.
- Spaceport use: SpaceX argued many existing spaceports are underused because they are not geographically suited to a high launch cadence, and said Cape Canaveral Space Force Station could host 450 launches a year if other operators matched SpaceX’s pace.
- Small rockets: it suggested small launch vehicles move to other sites to preserve capacity at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.
Context
The filing does not spell out how SpaceX would reach that number. Wccftech notes it likely involves Starship, Starlink and SpaceX’s proposed orbital AI data center satellites. The company is also planning a large Starship launch complex near Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, announced in August, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and a first launch targeted by 2029. Elon Musk has said that site could eventually handle up to 10,000 Starship launches a year.
The filing lands as SpaceX prepares for Starship Flight 15, which is expected in November.
Sources: Wccftech and Stocktwits.
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