Cape Canaveral Industrial Space: Blue Origin Asks for 50 Launches a Year

Blue Origin has asked the FAA to raise its New Glenn limit at Launch Complex 36 from 12 launches a year to 50. The FAA posted the draft environmental assessment in September and is taking public comment through October 30. For owners and tenants of Cape Canaveral industrial space, it is the second large launch request in a month, after the 76 Starship launches a year SpaceX wants at Launch Complex 37.

What Blue Origin Asked the FAA For

Blue Origin holds an FAA vehicle operator license, VOL 24-133, that allows up to 12 New Glenn launches a year from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Under the draft environmental assessment, the FAA would modify that license to allow 50.

The 50 includes static fire engine testing, first-stage landings on an ocean platform downrange, and payload fairing recovery. The FAA would also issue the temporary airspace closures that go with each launch. The agency's summary of the proposal lists no new construction.

The FAA holds a virtual public meeting on Thursday, October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern. Written comments are due October 30 at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-9841. A final environmental assessment follows the comment period.

Three Brevard Launch Reviews on the FAA's List

The FAA's commercial space project pages show three reviews for Brevard County pads as of October 6.

• New Glenn at Space Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station: 12 launches a year now, 50 proposed. Draft environmental assessment out, comments due October 30.

• Starship at Space Launch Complex 37, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station: up to 76 launches and 152 landings a year. The FAA published its notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement on September 29, and scoping comments close October 14. We covered that request here.

• Starship at Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center: up to 44 launches a year. The FAA has issued the final environmental impact statement and record of decision.

Added together, the three reviews study up to 170 launches a year. Each figure is the maximum the review analyzes. The FAA says on its Launch Complex 39A page that completing an environmental review does not guarantee a license.

What It Means for Cape Canaveral Industrial Space

None of the three filings names a private building, a square footage, or a lease. The pads sit on federal land. Any effect on private industrial property would come through the contractors and suppliers who support launch campaigns and need warehouse and flex space in Titusville, Cocoa, Cape Canaveral, and Merritt Island.

The numbers an owner can use today are the ones already recorded. Brevard industrial vacancy was 3.7 percent in the second quarter. Six industrial buildings sold in September between $121 and $216 per square foot. The largest was a 65,569 square foot Titusville warehouse built in 2022, which recorded at $10,200,000, or $156 per square foot. The full table is in our September market update.

RCRE Take

Owners of industrial buildings in north Brevard have three dates to watch: October 14 for Starship scoping comments, October 22 for the New Glenn public meeting, and October 30 for New Glenn comments. Both Cape Canaveral Space Force Station requests are still in review, so a lease renewal or a sale this year gets priced on September's recorded sales.

Tenants who need space near the Cape are already searching in a county with 3.7 percent industrial vacancy. A tenant with a lease expiring in 2027 should start the search this year whether or not the FAA approves either request.

If you own or need industrial or warehouse space in Brevard, call RCRE at 321-514-0876 or reach us at spacecoastcre.com/contact. We can show you what buildings like yours sold and leased for this year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I comment on the Blue Origin New Glenn launch increase?

Submit comments at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-9841 by October 30, 2026, or speak at the FAA's virtual public meeting on October 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern. Speakers get up to three minutes, and the FAA transcribes oral comments.

Does the New Glenn review cover new buildings at Launch Complex 36?

The FAA's summary of the proposal covers launch cadence and airspace closures. Construction of the launch site at Launch Complexes 11 and 36 was reviewed in a 2016 environmental assessment led by the Air Force, which studied up to 12 launches a year.

Sources

• FAA, Blue Origin New Glenn at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, page updated September 29, 2026, retrieved October 6, 2026: current 12-launch license, proposed 50, October 22 meeting, October 30 comment deadline, Docket No. FAA-2026-9841.

• FAA, SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy at Space Launch Complex 37, retrieved October 6, 2026: 76 launches and 152 landings a year, notice of intent published September 29, 2026, scoping comments through October 14, Docket No. FAA-2026-10792.

• FAA, SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy at Launch Complex 39A, retrieved October 6, 2026: final environmental impact statement and record of decision, up to 44 launches a year.

• Reach Commercial Real Estate, Brevard County market update for September 2026: second-quarter industrial vacancy and September recorded industrial sales.

• The 170-launch total is our addition of the three FAA figures.

Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 18 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.