In a report by Reuters, it has been revealed that SpaceX, in collaboration with the U.S. and Australian governments, is currently in discussions to seek permission for the landing and recovery of its Starship spacecraft along the Australian coast. This initiative may mark the first step for Elon Musk’s company to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region amidst the strengthened security cooperation between the U.S. and Australia.
According to three informed sources, SpaceX has been negotiating with officials from the U.S. and Australia to prepare for the landing and recovery of a Starship spacecraft along the Australian coast. Since the first successful landing of a Starship in the Indian Ocean last month, SpaceX has been seeking to broaden such testing activities.
Under the plan, the Starship would be launched from SpaceX’s facility in Texas, ascend into orbit, land in waters near the Australian coast, and then be recovered on Australian territory. However, due to U.S. export controls on advanced space technology, this project requires approval from the U.S. government.
The Biden administration has been seeking to relax similar restrictions within the “AUKUS” security alliance composed of the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., with the aim to counter challenges posed by China.
SpaceX, the U.S. Space Force, and the Australian Space Agency have not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comments.
Insiders disclosed that once the Starship lands in the ocean or on a barge, towing it to a port near the western or northern coast of Australia would be the preferred choice. However, the specific plans and locations are still under discussion.
These discussions highlight the efforts by the U.S. to assist Australia in enhancing its military capabilities to deter provocations from China in the region.
For years, Australia has been looking to expand its space defense initiatives, strengthen its civil and military space ties with the U.S., and bolster its own space industry foundation.
In recent weeks, discussions between senior executives of SpaceX and officials from the U.S. and Australia have mainly focused on resolving regulatory issues surrounding the transportation of recovered Starship boosters to foreign countries. As negotiations are ongoing, the timeline for the Starship to land in Australia remains unclear.
The proposed landing trial could be the first step for SpaceX to expand its operations in Australia, including potentially launching from Australian facilities or landing Starship boosters on the ground rather than at sea. However, these discussions are still in their early stages.
About a decade ago, during the development of the partly reusable Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX conducted landing tests at sea. Subsequently, they attempted landings on land and on drone ships. Falcon 9 is now SpaceX’s main rocket, with its first-stage boosters undergoing hundreds of routine space landings.
The Starship, standing at up to 400 feet (120 meters) tall, represents the next-generation rocket system for SpaceX, with full reusability and the capability to deploy large numbers of satellites into space, facilitate NASA astronaut missions to the Moon, and potentially transport military supplies worldwide within approximately 90 minutes.
The Starship’s test launch in June was the most successful to date. The spacecraft was launched from Texas, flew on a suborbital trajectory at hypersonic speeds, re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and gently landed in the Indian Ocean about 90 minutes after launch. Its superheavy booster touched down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Previous test flights of the Starship ended with the spacecraft disintegrating before landing safely. The June flight prompted SpaceX to initiate new and more complex landing tests.
The “Rocket Cargo” project by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory envisions using suborbital rockets to swiftly deliver military cargo worldwide within 90 minutes, known as “point-to-point delivery.” Some Pentagon officials view the June Starship test launch as a critical demonstration for this project.
Launching the Starship from Texas and landing it near the Australian coast further showcases the concept of “point-to-point delivery.”
Although still in early stages, with the advantage of orbit speed of 17,000 miles (27,350 kilometers) per hour and hypersonic re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, the time required for rocket delivery around the globe would only be a fraction of the usual 12 to 24 hours by conventional aircraft.
Since 2021, SpaceX has been working under a $102 million contract from the Pentagon to research how to utilize the Starship for these global deliveries. According to budget documents for 2025, this project will involve more serious prototyping work in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force next year.