Bigger and more powerful rockets could be launching in the years ahead from Southern California. Will SpaceX’s Starship be among them?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County announced plans for a new launch site that would offer launch providers the ability to develop and fly heavy or super-heavy lift spacecraft. That’s aerospace industry parlance for larger vehicles capable of carrying massive payloads into orbit, which are likely to be visible to spectators far beyond the launch pad in California and even neighboring states.
Because it’s so early in the process, the U.S. Space Force is only seeking responses from launch service providers that would be interested in leasing space at the new yet-undeveloped area. But because SpaceX is the most active tenant at Vandenberg, the space community is already abuzz with the idea that the expansion plans could give billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company the option of bringing its Starship operations to the West Coast.
So far, though, it’s unclear what interest SpaceX or any other major spaceflight competitors would have in Vandenberg’s new site.
Here’s everything to know so far.
Space Force unveils plan for new launch site at California’s Vandenberg
Space Force released a request for information, or RFI, Dec. 29, outlining plans for Space Launch Complex (SLC) 14 – a new site located at the southernmost point of the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The site, which is still undeveloped land with no infrastructure yet in place, is far from being launch-ready.
For now, though, Space Force is soliciting responses from spaceflight companies with an interest in leasing space at the site, where they could construct and operate facilities dedicated to launching rockets. Space Force’s goal, as outlined in the RFI, is to “establish operational heavy or super-heavy launch capabilities.”
“A heavy/super-heavy launch capability at VSFB offers a strategic advantage to the USSF, enabling the deployment of larger, more capable military satellites and facilitating rapid response missions during national security emergencies,” according to the RFI. “Adding heavy/super-heavy launch capabilities at VSFB enhances resilience, diversifies the government’s portfolio, and accelerates satellite constellation reconstitution due to increased lift capacity.”
Space Force indicated in the RFI its preference to “increase launch diversity” at Vandenberg by using the site for new vehicles that don’t already have operations at the base. Space Force is also interested in spacecraft with “unique capabilities” that can operate at SLC-14 within five years of signing a lease agreement.
Could SpaceX’s Starship launch from California?
Among the most recognizable super-heavy vehicles is SpaceX’s Starship.
Standing at more than 400 feet tall when fully stacked, the world’s largest rocket is being developed and tested for upcoming NASA human moon missions, as well as potentially the first crewed voyages to Mars.
So far, all of Starship’s 11 test flights to date have taken place from Starbase – SpaceX’s company headquarters in South Texas. Plans are also in place to launch Starship in 2026 from Florida.
And because Starship appears to meet the qualifications for Vandenberg’s new site, questions already abound about what advantage a West Coast launch pad could offer SpaceX.
In its RFI, Space Force defined heavy-lift vehicles as any capable of carrying payloads weighing anywhere between about 44,000 and 110,000 pounds, while super-heavy vehicles have a payload capacity even greater.
On SpaceX’s website, the company advertises Starship as having a payload capacity of more than 100 tons, or an excess of 220,000 pounds.
SpaceX has not announced plans to bring Starship operations to California. The USA TODAY Network left a message Monday, Jan. 5, with a Vandenberg spokeswoman.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site – managed by Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force – was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the site also hosts civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX.
SpaceX, founded and led by Musk, the world’s richest man, is by far the most active launch provider at Vandenberg.
The company regularly sends its two-stage Falcon 9 rocket on missions to deploy batches of Starlink internet satellites into its growing constellation in space. The Falcon 9 spacecraft, standing at 230 feet tall, was also contracted for use on several military and government missions in 2025 from Vandenberg.
Record year for launches in California
Plans for the new site come at a time that spaceflight operations from the West Coast have been on the rise.
A record was set in October when SpaceX launched the 52nd overall mission of 2025, surpassing 2024 as the year with the most rocket launches from Vandenberg since the 1960s.
What’s more, a new record will almost certainly be set in 2026 after Vandenberg announced in October 2025 that SpaceX missions from California are set to double to 100 in the year ahead. The plan, approved by the U.S. Air Force, also includes the California debut of SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Could SpaceX Starship launch in California? Site will cater to larger rockets
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
