In addition to getting ready for its upcoming Starship test flight, SpaceX is expanding its Texas facilities to accommodate the production and launch of those spacecraft.

SpaceX filled the vehicle with propellants and practiced the countdown during a wet dress rehearsal of the vehicle that will carry out its fourth integrated test flight on May 20. One of the last tasks before SpaceX tries to launch was that rehearsal.

Following the test, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on social media, “Starship Flight 4 in about 2 weeks.” “Getting through maximum reentry heating is the primary goal.” During the previous test flight on March 14, the Starship upper stage, or ship, broke apart during reentry.

A revised Federal Aviation Administration launch authorization will also be required for SpaceX. Kelvin Coleman, the FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation, stated during the 39th Space Symposium in April that it was feasible to finish a license amendment by the end of May, but he did not provide a timeline for its completion.

Recently, a different SpaceX representative stated that she anticipated Starship to be prepared for launch as soon as the FAA awarded the revised license. Kathy Lueders, general manager of Starbase and a former NASA associate administrator in charge of human spaceflight programs, stated, “We’re still working on licensing with the FAA,” adding that they were “going through a few last-minute crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s” at an event held in Harlingen, Texas on May 14.

“We’re hoping to have the license by the end of May, early June timeframe,”  she stated. “We’re going to fly the first day we get that license.”

She spoke extensively on the company’s development of Starbase, where SpaceX manufactures Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy boosters, during her presentation to a local economic group. More than 3,000 people, including both SpaceX workers and contractors, are employed at the site every day, according to Lueders. It is situated close to the point where the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico meet.

“We’ve been putting in billions into this area to get the facilities ready,” the speaker stated. “It’s not easy building at the end of Highway 4.” According to a slide from her talk, SpaceX presently spends $1.1 billion a year at Starbase and other Texas-based facilities, having invested more than $3 billion in the facility’s infrastructure since the facility’s symbolic groundbreaking in 2014. She stated that within the next several weeks, an updated 2021 economic impact study on the business’s operations should be available.

Building a massive production facility, called the “Starfactory,” spanning a million square feet and replacing tents that had been used to assemble Starship components, is a top priority. “Elon, a year ago, said, ‘You know what, we need to get rid of these tents and this is now going to be a permanent location,’” she said. “So, we’re going to build a giga Starship factory.” Subsequently, she stated that the corporation intends to finish that factory before the year ends.

She noted that in addition to developing a second high bay, SpaceX is building an office building to house the engineering staff at Starbase. Not far from the current pad, the corporation is also constructing a second orbital launch pad for Starship.

Building a massive production facility, called the “Starfactory,” spanning a million square feet and replacing tents that had been used to assemble Starship components, is a top priority. “Elon, a year ago, said, ‘You know what, we need to get rid of these tents and this is now going to be a permanent location,’” she said. “So, we’re going to build a giga Starship factory.” Subsequently, she stated that the corporation intends to finish that factory before the year ends.

She noted that in addition to developing a second high bay, SpaceX is building an office building to house the engineering staff at Starbase. Not far from the current pad, the corporation is also constructing a second orbital launch pad for Starship.

In reference to Starship launches for the NASA Human Landing System program, she stated, “We need two launch areas to be able to meet our manifest.” “A single landing will require 15 tanker launches, and they need to be done within a certain period of time.” This estimate of 15 tanker launches is more than other previous statements made by business officials, including one from January that said there would be “ten-ish” launches.

“We will need the Florida base too to be able to do the number and the sequencing of missions,” she said, “but this is going to be our workhorse area.”

She mentioned that she was also working on other facets of Starbase and its impact on the neighborhood, such as enhancing employee quality of life and traffic on the site’s sole road. “Right now it’s a critical phase for us,” she added, referring to the talks that are taking place with state and municipal officials about issues like when traffic lights should be installed on the road leading to Starbase and how to promote the construction of lodging and dining options on the east side of Brownsville, which is the area closest to Starbase.

According to her, there have also been talks about future Starbase infrastructure upgrades, “to have a place for us to be able to conduct business at the end of Highway 4.”