Irene Klotz
October 30, 2025

SpaceX Starbase facility

SpaceX is retooling Starbase, Texas, to increase production and flight rates of its Starship launch system.

Credit: SpaceX

On a narrow spit of land just north of the Rio Grande River at the southern tip of Texas, SpaceX is building and testing technologies to transform space travel and development radically. Its stated goal: Establish a human base on Mars. Along the way, SpaceX intends to fulfill a contract with NASA to…

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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