Fully reusable rockets: Starship gets green light for 44 launches, 88 landings per year

The US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Starship-Super Heavy operations at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.Released on January 30, 2026, this approval paves the way for SpaceX to conduct up to 44 launches and 88 landings (44 for the Starship upper stage and 44 for the Super Heavy booster) per year from the site. .SpaceX pulls off successful test flight of Starship mega rocket .Watch: SpaceX Starship explodes in massive fireball during 'routine' test, no injuries reported.SpaceX answers critics with successful Starship test flight.SpaceX gears up for Starship launch as Musk controversy swirls.FAA review.The decision follows a nearly two-year environmental review process, including a Draft EIS from August 2025 and public comments, addressing concerns like noise, sonic booms, wildlife impacts, and airspace disruptions, as per US government-run Federal Register.The FAA also dismissed worries from airlines about potential flight disruptions and safety risks from rocket failures, emphasising mitigation measures such as coordination with air traffic control and debris containment plans. This brings SpaceX's total approved annual Starship launches across sites (including Boca Chica, Texas, and potential Cape Canaveral) to potentially 146, accelerating the vehicle's path to full reusability and missions like Mars colonisation, according to Nasa..1 million AI satellites: SpaceX's insane plan unveiled.However, the FAA has also issued broader safety alerts about rocket launches posing risks to aviation, urging caution amid Starship's test expansions. .Launches skyrocketingWith the approval, Starship is set to dwarf the boom and revolutionise the cosmos.The space industry is blasting off like never before, with orbital launch attempts tripling since 2020, as vividly illustrated in a striking graph from Flight Atlas. This exponential growth, depicted in layered lines climbing steeply from near-zero in early 2020 to over 300 by mid-2026, owes much to partial reusability pioneered by rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9. .Now, full reusability via Starship could make these numbers look like child's play.The chart shows a relentless upward trajectory year-over-year: 2020's modest start gives way to 2021's gentle rise, accelerating through 2022-2025, and exploding in 2026..Partial reusability has slashed costs and boosted frequency, enabling more satellites, science missions, and commercial ventures. SpaceX dominates, accounting for over half the launches, while competitors like Rocket Lab and emerging Chinese players scramble to catch up. Critics lambast programmes like NASA's SLS as wasteful relics, siphoning billions without matching the pace..Starship is Elon Musk's behemoth designed for rapid reuse like an airplane. Once operational, it could enable hundreds — even thousands — of launches annually, flooding orbits with Starlink satellites, lunar landers, and Mars-bound cargo. It would mean the ability to deploy constellations in days, not years. Experts predict this shift will trivialise current stats, sparking a space economy worth trillions..ChallengesYet challenges loom: regulatory hurdles, like the FAA's recent approval for 44 launches from Kennedy Space Center, highlight environmental and safety debates. Airspace disruptions and sonic booms worry airlines, but proponents argue the benefits — cheaper access, innovation explosion — outweigh risks. As the graph show, the world could be on the cusp of a reusable revolution. Starship could hold the key to humanity's multi-planetary future.