When Starship arrives in Florida, expect 2-hour flight delays, the FAA warns

SpaceX aims to extend its starship operations to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in order to launch 44 super heavy rockets per year. If the regulators approve this plan, the increase in the launch activity could lead to more field stops, rearflies and theft delays in the main airports of the State of Sunshine, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

In a draft environmental impact declaration published this month, the FAA declares that airports such as Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International, Orlando International, Tampa International and Miami International could see average delays that can go up to two hours for starship launches and super heavy booster landings. Return could cause delays until an hour. In some cases, travelers can also undergo the hijackings of theft or cancellations, according to a bridge bridge that accompanies it.

A potential increase in the dangers of airspace

Such problems would result from temporary airspace closings, called aircraft danger zones (AHA), installed during starship launching activities. These temporary flight zone restrictions separate aircraft from dangers such as the fall in debris or launch vehicles themselves. The location and size of the AHA depend on several factors and vary between missions, but the FAA is currently estimating that starship launches from Cape Canaveral would have an impact on the air roads extending 1,600 sea miles (2,963 kilometers) east on the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the rocket flight trajectory, AHAS could force the agency to close dozens of coastal and deep ocean airways on the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and certain Central America. Under these restrictions, planes may require significant reruns to avoid AHAs. According to the assessment of the FAA, the launch of Starship and the AHA of the super heavy Booster landing could affect up to 200 commercial planes per hour during time -off times, while the back -to -school AHA could affect up to 600 per hour.

Airport operations may need to adapt

It is not yet clear if affected airports will have to adjust operations to accommodate the arrival of starship in Florida. Miami International and Tampa International spokespersons told Techcrunch that their airports had not yet been involved in briefings or procedural planning with SpaceX or FAA.

SpaceX is already launching dozens of Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral each year, but these smaller and more predictable rockets require much smaller AHA. Bringing a large volatile vessel – which has exploded on Starbase, Texas, on several occasions – in Florida will certainly exacerbate the impact that SpaceX has on the commercial airspace of the State.

The EIS project notes, however, that the vessels could shrink as the launch system becomes more reliable. In addition, pre-coordinated redirects, dynamic planning and time-based traffic flow management could reduce operational expenses, the EIS of States.

The expansion of the Florida of Starship charges in advance

Although SpaceX’s proposal is still awaiting approval from the FAA, it has already started to build starship launch infrastructures at Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX plans to finish the Launchpad at the Launch Complex in Kennedy Space Center 39a this year, while environmental impact assessments are progressing. The company also started building gigabay in Florida. SpaceX will use this massive vertical manufacturing and assembly installation to stack and finalize super heavy boosters before the flight.

If SpaceX has its way, Starship will be launched from Cape Canaveral before the end of the year. First, the FAA must determine whether the United States can manage the training effects of the launch of this rocket in one of the country’s most frequented air corridors. For passengers, this could lead to much more uncertainty during the flight in the state of Sunshine.