The FAA released the Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Falcon 9 Operations at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (Draft EA) on March 14, 2025. The FAA is the lead agency for the Draft EA, and the Department of the Air Force (DAF), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and National Aeronautics and Aerospace Administration (NASA) are cooperating agencies.

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Draft EA, the FAA would:

• Issue a license modification that would allow SpaceX to increase the annual number of Falcon 9 launches at SLC-40, construct and operate a Falcon 9 first-stage booster landing zone (LZ) at SLC-40.
• Approve related airspace closures for launch and landing operations.

The Draft EA analyzes:

• Up to 120 Falcon 9 launches annually at SLC-40, an increase of 70 launches annually from the 50 previously analyzed
• Construction and operation of a landing zone at SLC-40
• Up to 34 Falcon 9 first-stage booster landings annually at the new SLC-40 landing zone . 

To view the 2023 and 2024 Written Re-Evaluations (WRs) that supported calendar year increases in the number of SpaceX Falcon 9 launches at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, please click on the links below.

• 2023 Written Re-Evaluation 
• 2024 Written Re-Evaluation 

The Draft EA and appendices are available below:

• Draft EA, SpaceX Falcon 9 Operations at SLC-40
• Appendix A - Air Quality
• Appendix B - Noise
• Appendix C - Cultural Resources
• Appendix D - Biological Resources

The FAA invited all interested parties to submit comments on the Draft EA. The public comment period for the Draft EA closed on May 15, 2025. All comments, statements, or questions received during the comment period will be considered in the development of the Final EA.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is a Cooperating Agency for this Draft EA. In order to meet DAF’s National Environmental Policy Act requirements for adopting the FAA’s Environmental Assessment as a Cooperating Agency, (see 32 CFR § 989.15(e)), the FAA also posted a link to the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for public comment on behalf of DAF. The DAF Draft FONSI can be viewed here. The comment period for DAF’s Draft FONSI, as well as the FAA’s Draft EA, closed on May 15, 2025. 

Public Meeting

Due to technical difficulties associated with the nationwide Zoom platform outage, the FAA cancelled the April 16, 2025 virtual public meeting for the Environmental Assessment analyzing SpaceX Falcon 9 Operations at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The virtual public meeting was rescheduled and occurred on May 8, 2025, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Eastern). All public meeting materials can be viewed below.

For media inquiries, please contact the FAA Press Office at pressoffice@faa.gov. 

Meeting Materials

Presentation
Access the presentation in English here.

Script
Access the script in English here.