A gigantic launch system vehicle that has only ever lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase in Texas could one day soon expand its operations to Florida's Space Coast.

Following the latest test mission of its Starship spacecraft , SpaceX is looking to ramp up flights for the largest rocket ever built with launches from not only Texas, but also Florida.

That's right: A gigantic launch system vehicle that has only ever lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase in South Texas could one day soon expand its operations to the Sunshine State . Plans call for billionaire Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company to bring Starship production and launch capabilities to the Space Coast.

And it could be happening sooner than you think.

As SpaceX breaks ground in Florida on a new Starship facility it calls "Gigabay," the company is also finalizing plans to launch the 400-foot-tall spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Why? For SpaceX head Musk, expanding Starship operations to a second state is crucial to accelerate the development of a vehicle due in the years ahead to play a key role in transporting humans to both the moon and Mars .

"Expansion of Starship production and launch operations in Florida will enable SpaceX to significantly increase the build and flight rates for Starship," SpaceX wrote March 3 on its website.

Now that SpaceX has completed Starship's ninth-ever test mission since demonstrations began in April 2023 , here's what to know about the company's future plans for Florida.

When could Starship launch from Florida?

SpaceX has long had plans in place to build a Starship launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral. The site is located at the historic launch complex 39A – the site of the U.S. space agency's Apollo moon mission launches.

SpaceX would not only equip the site to launch Starship, but to catch its Super Heavy rocket booster when it returns to the pad – as it has done three times at Starbase .

In its most recent update on the project, SpaceX said it is building and installing the pad’s deflector system, which provides cooling and sound suppression water during launches.

Pending completion of environmental reviews, SpaceX has said it intends to conduct Starship's first Florida launch by the end of 2025.

What is Gigabay? SpaceX's plans for Space Coast, Florida, launch

Ultimately, though, SpaceX has ambitious plans for the construction of its 380-foot-tall Gigabay in Florida.

The massive building, which will be used to stack and finalize the 232-foot-tall Super Heavy boosters, or lower stages, with the Starship vehicle before flights, is under construction near SpaceX’s facility on Kennedy Space Center grounds . When completed, Gigabay is planned to be 815,000 square feet of workspace, including a ground level, elevated platform work areas, and a work and meeting space on the top floor, according to SpaceX.

"Site preparations for Gigabay in Florida have already begun, with construction targeted to be complete and the facility operational by the end of 2026," SpaceX has said.

SpaceX is also eyeing plans for a manufacturing facility on the same site to enable production of Starships in Florida. In the meantime, the company will transport completed Super Heavy boosters and Starship upper stage ships from Starbase on barges.

What is Starship?

SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. In the years ahead, Starship is intended to carry both cargo and humans to Earth's orbit and deeper into the cosmos.

Regarded as the world’s largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, the 400-foot launch system is composed of both a 232-foot Super Heavy rocket and the 171-foot upper stage spacecraft, or capsule where crew and cargo would ride.

NASA's lunar exploration plans , which appear to be in jeopardy under President Donald Trump's proposed budget , call for Artemis III astronauts aboard the Orion capsule to board the Starship while in orbit for a ride to the moon's surface.

But Musk is more preoccupied with Starship reaching Mars – potentially, he has claimed, by the end of 2026. Under his vision, human expeditions aboard the Starship could then follow in the years after the first uncrewed spacecraft reaches the Red Planet.