SpaceX plans to raise Starship’s launch cadence to weekly flights during the first half of 2027 and to twice-weekly operations, or potentially more, during the second half. The forecast, linked to the company’s third-quarter earnings call, depends on achieving rapid and complete reusability of both Starship stages at the Starbase, Texas, test site and new launch facilities in Florida.
Elon Musk presented the timetable as an aspiration rather than a fixed schedule. SpaceX expects some refurbishment between early flights before progressing towards aircraft-like turnaround, in which a vehicle could be landed and relaunched with little or no servicing. The company has not yet demonstrated repeated recovery and rapid reuse of both stages.
Starship has completed 14 test flights, and the next mission is expected to attempt recovery of both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage at the launch tower. SpaceX also aims to refly a Starship upper stage early in 2027 and conduct an orbital-refuelling demonstration early in the year.
The planned expansion would use infrastructure at Starbase, Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39 and Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 37. Progress will depend on vehicle production, successful recovery tests, refurbishment capability, launch licences and regulatory approval, including a review of proposed expanded operations at Starbase. Higher flight rates are intended to support Starlink satellite deployment, orbital infrastructure and future lunar missions.