SpaceX will not have to go far to build its rocket to Mars, as the company has received approval to do it in Los Angeles.
SpaceX, founded by visionary CEO Elon Musk, already builds its current Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets in Hawthorne, California, which is within the city limits of Los Angeles. However, the company needed additional space for the massive BFR.
SpaceX BFR Spacecraft To Mars Will Rise In Los Angeles
Last month, Elon Musk claimed that the SpaceX BFR, the rocket designed to send people from Earth to Mars, will be ready by next year. However, if Musk wants to keep that promise, SpaceX should probably start building it soon.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted his approval to build the SpaceX BFR in the city.
"This vehicle holds the promise of taking humanity deeper into the cosmos than ever before," he added.
"If this year has taught us anything, it is to think big — to go after something unreachable. We have the confidence to look up to the stars, and the guts to realize our dreams," said Garcetti during a live broadcast.
The additional construction space for the BFR spacecraft was needed due to its size. The completed rocket may stand as high as 348 feet tall, taller than the Statue of Liberty, so SpaceX needed a new area besides Hawthorne. However, ideally, the new area should be not too far so that its employees will not have to travel long distances to get to the rocket.
Where In LA Will SpaceX Build The BFR?
It may be hard to imagine a place in crowded Los Angeles, which 4 million people call home, where SpaceX has the space to build the BFR. Of course, the rocket will not rise in the heart of the city.
SpaceX previously said that it needed to build the BFR near the water, and so the Port of Los Angeles was the perfect place. A final lease agreement will still need to pass through a city harbor commission, but with Garcetti's approval already in place, that would be a mere formality.
SpaceX has already started to move hardware into temporary facilities at the Port of Los Angeles. The company will manufacture the components of the BFR beside the water for easy transportation to testing sites and launchpads.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
The BFR is not the only rocket keeping SpaceX busy, though, as the Falcon 9 was tasked to launch NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. TESS will be on a mission to look for more exoplanets out in space.
Unfortunately, though, NASA and SpaceX have decided to postpone the TESS launch, as additional preparation was needed.
