SpaceX (SPCX.US) is proposing to increase the number of Starship launches and landings at its Starbase facility in southern Texas to hundreds per year, a plan now under review by the U.S. government.

According to a notice published Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it plans to prepare an environmental impact statement for the SpaceX proposal and hold public meetings.

According to the FAA, SpaceX has proposed conducting as many as 456 launches and 912 recovery operations annually at its Texas facility.

After a launch or mission concludes, the two major vehicle stages — the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster — would return to the base in a fully upright position to complete recovery for reuse.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has publicly stated that the company intends to accelerate the pace of Starship launches as much as possible in the future, and said that within less than a decade, the vehicle will be capable of launching more than once per hour.

The company also recently announced plans to invest up to $100 billion to build a large launch site in southern Louisiana to support high-frequency Starship launches.

While increased launches would help advance SpaceX's broader space exploration goals, there are also risks, including potential environmental impacts and disruptions to aviation order — airlines would need to adjust flight routes to avoid debris falling during launches or rocket explosions.

The FAA's analysis of the SpaceX Starbase facility plan will assess potential risks to air quality, wildlife and coastal resources, among other things. A draft will be released later and opened for public comment.

The FAA said SpaceX's plan would proceed in two phases. In the first phase, SpaceX would conduct up to 100 Starship launches and 200 recoveries per year from the site. These operations could take place on any date or at any time.

"As the vehicle continues to mature and reliability improves, launch and recovery frequency is expected to increase," the FAA said.

SpaceX would reach the scale of 456 launches in the second phase, which could be implemented "within a few years." During that period, launches could still occur at any time of day but would be limited to Monday through Friday.

The FAA also noted that the cap of 912 recoveries represents the maximum number of recoveries that could occur at the SpaceX Texas facility, regardless of where Starship launches from. SpaceX may also choose to recover vehicle stages on land or allow them to splash down in the nearby Gulf of Mexico or distant ocean areas.

Previously, Starship was limited to a maximum of five flights per year at Starbase, and the company has conducted only three launches of the vehicle so far in 2026.

However, Starship is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, capable of flying again quickly with minimal refurbishment. SpaceX has not yet achieved this capability, but Musk has said the company hopes to land both major vehicle stages back at Starbase together by the end of the year.

The FAA said SpaceX is currently authorized to conduct up to 25 launches and 50 recovery operations per year at the Texas Starbase facility.