SpaceX seeks approval for a natural gas pipeline in Florida for rockets from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, is seeking approval to build a natural gas pipeline in Florida, to fuel the rockets launched from Cape Canaveral — as Reuters reports, referring to a state regulatory document from September.

A SpaceX subsidiary, Coastal Connect Services (CCS), has asked the Florida Public Service Commission to approve a tariff for a new 32.4-mile (about 52-kilometre), 16-inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline in Brevard County — the area where Cape Canaveral is located. The new infrastructure will provide natural gas, as SpaceX uses methane in liquid form as fuel for its Starship rockets.

According to the filed request, CCS proposes to build and operate facilities that will bring natural gas from the existing interstate Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pipeline directly to its customers. The petition says the pipeline is essential for a safe, timely and efficient supply, as the current supply by truck and the existing local pipelines no longer meet SpaceX’s growing needs at Cape Canaveral.

The proposed pipeline would be similar to an 8-mile pipeline that SpaceX has also requested for the launch base in Boca Chica, Texas. According to Bloomberg News, which first reported this development, SpaceX has begun hiring natural gas traders to secure a reliable and economical fuel supply for Starship launches from Florida and Texas.

SpaceX’s move into gas infrastructure, according to Reuters, underlines its long-standing strategy of controlling as much of the supply chain as possible — a capital-intensive approach that has helped the company move ahead of rivals in rocket development.