FAA: SpaceX aims 10,000 launches

Bryan Bedford, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said on May 20 that SpaceX wants to reach 10,000 launches a year within five years, according to Reuters. Bedford told reporters in Arlington, Virginia, that the company had discussed the target with him through SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. He said U.S. officials would need to see better launch reliability before approving an expansion to that pace. Reuters reported the remarks on May 21. The FAA said on May 22 that it had cleared Starship to resume flights after a March test failure. ### Who said SpaceX is targeting 10,000 launches a year? Bryan Bedford said the figure came from a meeting with Gwynne Shotwell, Reuters reported. Bedford, who leads the FAA, said Shotwell described the company’s goal as reaching 10,000 annual launches within five years. (money.usnews.com) Reuters said Bedford made the comments while speaking with reporters on May 20 in Arlington, Virginia. The report did not say the FAA had approved that launch rate, only that Bedford relayed SpaceX’s target and tied any future approval to reliability. ### How far is that from SpaceX’s current approved launch pace? (money.usnews.com) The FAA has approved SpaceX for a combined 195 launches a year across its four active sites, according to a report carried by MSN citing FAA figures. That total includes a 25-launch annual cap at Starbase in Texas after the FAA raised the site’s limit from five in May 2025. (money.usnews.com) A target of 10,000 launches a year would therefore sit far above the company’s current licensed cadence. Bedford said government officials would first need evidence of improved reliability before allowing expansion on that scale. ### Why did the FAA pair that goal with a warning on reliability? (msn.com) Bedford said “government officials will need to see improved reliability” before approving such an expansion, according to Reuters. His remarks came as SpaceX was seeking to return Starship to flight after its latest failure. (money.usnews.com) The FAA said on May 22 that it approved Starship to resume flights after the rocket’s explosive March test failure. Reuters reported that the agency redrew hazard zones along the vehicle’s flight path and said SpaceX could launch from Texas as soon as the following week. ### What changed in the Starship approval after the March failure? (money.usnews.com) The FAA said the return-to-flight decision followed SpaceX’s mishap review submission and updated safety measures, according to Reuters and other reports. The agency expanded the aircraft hazard area for the next Starship flight and said the approval allowed a launch from South Texas after the March failure. (money.usnews.com) Reuters said the March failure had grounded Starship while the FAA reviewed the company’s findings. The agency’s May 22 decision reopened the path for the next test flight, even as Bedford separately said much larger future launch volumes would require stronger reliability. ### What happens next? (money.usnews.com) The FAA said on May 22 that SpaceX could launch Starship from Texas as soon as the next week, subject to readiness and final conditions. Reuters reported that approval after the March mishap, while Bedford’s May 20 comments set out the reliability threshold U.S. officials say they want to see before considering a much larger launch tempo. (money.usnews.com)