The application would expand Roberts Road from 167 acres to nearly 400, adding ship-testing stands, a payload processing facility and a connecting road, subject to approvals.
SpaceX has applied to expand its Roberts Road campus at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from 167 acres to nearly 400 acres. The proposal would add facilities for testing Starship spacecraft in Florida and preparing payloads for flight, NASASpaceflight said in its October 25 account of a draft NASA environmental assessment.
Kennedy currently lacks the capability to conduct static-fire tests on Starship ships—tests in which engines fire while the vehicle remains in place. Ship 43 must therefore complete that testing at Starbase in Texas before it can be shipped to Roberts Road.
NASASpaceflight also suggested that SpaceX could build more Gigabays—large buildings that accommodate ships and boosters—depending on its production plans. Those additional buildings are the outlet’s projection, rather than a confirmed addition.
The expansion remains at the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment stage, so the application does not authorize construction. A public comment period comes next, followed by final approvals. Water permits must also be submitted and approved before construction can proceed.
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