Elon Musk’s SpaceX is seeking approval to build a natural gas pipeline in Florida to supply fuel for its rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, according to a state regulatory filing from September.
A SpaceX subsidiary, Coastal Connect Services (CCS), has requested the Florida Public Service Commission to approve a tariff for a new 32.4-mile, 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline in Brevard County, where Cape Canaveral is located.
Here are some details:
* This infrastructure is expected to provide supply of natural gas, as SpaceX uses methane in liquid form as propellant in its Starship rockets.
* SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
* CCS has proposed to build and operate pipeline facilities that would bring natural gas from the existing Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) interstate pipeline directly to its customers, according to the filing.
* In the petition, the company said the pipeline is crucial for safe, timely and efficient natural gas delivery, as current truck-based supply and existing local pipelines cannot meet SpaceX’s growing needs at Cape Canaveral.
* The proposed pipeline would be similar to an 8-mile pipeline SpaceX has also requested for its Boca Chica launch site in South Texas.
* SpaceX has started hiring natural gas traders as it seeks to secure a reliable, cost-effective fuel supply for Starship launches from Florida and Texas, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development.
* SpaceX’s move into gas infrastructure, typically the domain of energy and pipeline firms, underscores its longstanding strategy of controlling as much of its supply chain as possible, a capital-intensive approach that has helped the company outpace rivals in rocket and spacecraft development.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)