SpaceX is building its first floating spaceport platform and plans to start hosting launches as early as next year. Dubbed Deimos, the ocean spaceport is one of two converted oil rigs that SpaceX purchased in 2020 with the aim to transform them into launch pads and landing sites for its next-generation Starship reusable rockets. SpaceX’s purchase of the two rigs is to create Deimos and Phobos, two floating spaceports named after the moons of Mars, aptly named as the company’s goal is to eventually have Starship transport people and goods to and from the red planet.

SpaceX moved Phobos to Pascagoula in Mississippi from the Port of Galveston earlier this year to refit it for Starship operations. Meanwhile, Deimos is under construction at the Port of Brownsville in Texas. SpaceX recently landed the SN15 Starship prototype during a flight test in early May after failures with multiple previous prototypes. It’s now planning to launch a Starship prototype into orbit and have it complete a 90-minute flight from Texas to Kauai.

Zoom Out: The construction of the first ocean spaceport is inspiring as it’s the first milestone in Musk and SpaceX’s vision to operate a globe-spanning network of hypersonic travel. The idea is to have spaceports like Deimos positioned within convenient reach of major hubs worldwide, making it possible for Starships to ferry people vast distances like Beijing to New York in around 30 minutes.

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