TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Aerospace Company SpaceX brings its spacecraft business to Florida’s Space Coast.
According to a report from NBC affiliate WESH, SpaceX will build a 390-foot-high “Giga Bay” facility located on the Kennedy Space Center site.
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Philip Metzger, director of the Microgravity and Education Center at the Stephen W. Hawking Center at the University of Central Florida, said about 600 people will work to build the spacecraft. Building more rockets will allow for more launches.
“I think it’s crazy exciting,” Metzger told Wesi. “Now we get one or two launches a week. But SpaceX’s goal is to have around 10 launches per day.”
In addition to creating hundreds of manufacturing jobs, Metzger said, “it will have a multiplier effect that supports its manufacturing, supply chains and local economies.”
In a post on X, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis congratulated SpaceX on its plans to introduce businesses to Florida, adding that NASA should consider the same.
However, some Central Florida researchers and parents are interested in potential environmental impacts.
“We need to do extensive environmental analysis to ensure that the lagoon and infrastructure are protected,” research scientist Ken Kremer told WESH. “SpaceX should pay for all improvements. FAA should not be bullied by musk.”
Construction on Gigabay is expected to start next month, according to Federal Aviation Administration documents obtained by WESH. With environmental impacts pending, SpaceX plans to launch its first Florida spacecraft in late 2025.
