As part of a federal review process, details of SpaceX's proposed future spaceport in South Texas were released at the end of the week last. Here's what we know.
The small village of Boca Chica (Texas), which has no more than twenty inhabitants, currently houses the SpaceX facilities intended to serve its Starship project, which aims to send humans to the Moon and Mars. And this project begins to gain momentum, as the flights of prototypes follow one another. So of course, it will have to expand. A few months ago, Elon Musk, the company's founder, mentioned the construction of a "spaceport" on this same site. But what exactly are we talking about?
New documents published a few days ago in a public notice from the US Army Corps of Engineers allow us to see this a little more clearly. These reports include a detailed architectural drawing of the site. Among the main existing equipment, other structures will soon be built:
–Two Orbital Launch Pads
– Two suborbital launch pads , one of which already exists
– Two landing platforms , one of which already exists
– Two structural testbeds for Starship and the Super Heavy booster, enough to allow controls and measurements of their behavior in conditions of use.
– A large "tank park" to provide ground support equipment for orbital flights
– A permanent position for the "Starhopper" at the entrance to the site. This old prototype now serves as a weather station, relay antenna and camera for launches.
All of these facilities will be concentrated on just a few dozen acres. The site will also include stormwater ponds to mitigate the risk of flooding.
The fact remains that these four launch pads, associated with the acquisition of two oil platforms (now named Phobos and Deimos, like the Martian moons), give an idea the company's future operational capabilities. More than ever, the future of Starship and human spaceflight to Mars will be played out in Texas.
Recently, Musk also offered to integrate the nearby village of Boca Chica into a "new city", called Starbase, he announced via Twitter. On the other hand, this project, if it is to be done, will probably not be for tomorrow.
“ If SpaceX and Elon Musk want to take such steps, they will have to follow all the rules in force in the State ” , has already warned Eddie Treviño, a local magistrate. Before building this new city and encompassing the village of Boca Chica, SpaceX "will have to overcome many obstacles" , he also tempered with the press agency Bloomberg .
