Key Points
- SpaceX is in talks with U.S. and Australian officials to land a Starship rocket off Australia’s coast.
- This initiative is part of the broader U.S.-Australia security collaboration against China’s regional assertiveness.
- Discussions are ongoing to address regulatory hurdles related to recovering the rocket in a foreign country.
- This plan could be a precursor to a larger SpaceX presence in Australia, including potential launches from the continent.
SpaceX is negotiating with U.S. and Australian officials to land and recover one of its Starship rockets off the Australian coast, marking a potential step towards a larger presence in the region. According to sources familiar with the discussions, this move aligns with the growing security ties between the two countries.
The initiative follows the successful controlled splashdown of a Starship rocket in the Indian Ocean in June. SpaceX is keen to expand its testing campaign, as successful landings and subsequent recovery of the boosters are crucial for developing the reusable rocket, which aims to launch satellites into orbit and transport astronauts to the moon.
The plan involves launching Starship from a SpaceX facility in Texas, landing it in the sea off Australia’s coast, and then recovering it on Australian territory. The U.S. would need to relax export controls on advanced space technologies destined for Australia to proceed. This aligns with efforts by President Joe Biden’s administration to ease such restrictions within the AUKUS security alliance, which includes the U.S., Australia, and Britain, and aims to counter China’s influence.
Neither SpaceX, the U.S. Space Force, nor the Australian Space Agency have responded to requests for comments. The sources suggest that towing the Starship to a nearby port on Australia’s western or northern coasts after landing would be ideal. However, specific plans and locations are still under discussion.
These talks highlight the U.S. commitment to enhancing Australia’s military capabilities as a countermeasure to China’s growing assertiveness in the region. The potential arrangement would also boost Australia’s efforts to expand its space defense program, strengthen civil and military space cooperation with the U.S., and develop its space industry.
Recent discussions between SpaceX executives and U.S. and Australian officials have focused on overcoming regulatory challenges in recovering a Starship booster in a foreign country. Due to ongoing talks, the timeline for any Starship landing off Australia remains uncertain.
The sources indicated that these test landings could be the first phase of a broader future presence for SpaceX in Australia, including launching from an Australian facility or landing a Starship booster on land instead of in the ocean. However, these possibilities are in the early stages of discussion.
While developing its partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket a decade ago, SpaceX also conducted ocean-based test landings before transitioning to land and barge touchdowns. Today, the Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, with its first-stage booster making hundreds of routine landings from space.
