--- title: "Elon Musk: SpaceX Will Be Launching From Floating Platforms by 2022" description: "According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company could be launching Starship spacecraft from an ocean spaceport as soon as next year." date: "2021-06-01" modified: "2021-06-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-spacex-launching-floating-platforms" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: SpaceX Will Be Launching From Floating Platforms by 2022 ![According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company could be launching Starship spacecraft from an ocean spaceport as soon as next year.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Deimos Launch According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company could be launching its Starship spacecraft from a ocean spaceport as soon as next year. "Ocean spaceport Deimos is under construction for launch next year," [the billionaire tweeted]() over the weekend, referring to one of [two deepwater oil rigs]() his company purchased last year. The rigs, named Deimos and Phobos after Mars' two moons, are meant to allow SpaceX's Starship to launch missions to Earth's orbit, the Moon, and eventually Mars — without running the risk of shattering nearby windows or ear drums. ## Rollercoaster Ride It's yet another sign that SpaceX is hellbent on creating a reusable heavy lift launch platform that could end up returning the first astronauts to the Moon's surface since the 70s [as soon as 2024](). And the vision is clearer than it's ever been. In his latest remarks, Musk was quote tweeting a [photorealistic render]() of what a nearly 400 feet tall Starship and Super Heavy booster stack launching at sea could look like. SpaceX is also [planning on using floating spaceports]() to allow its Starship to deliver [up to 1,000]() passengers from one corner of the Earth to another as part of a space-based intercontinental transportation network, an experience likened to riding Disney's Space Mountain ride, [according to a June 2019 tweet by Musk](). https://twitter.com/Kendall_Dirks/status/1398640498223587334 ## Going Orbital For the time being, SpaceX is hard at work [constructing the first ever flightworthy prototype]() of its gigantic Super Heavy booster, the rocket that could help the next Starship prototype to go orbital. SpaceX is [planning to launch]() its first orbital test flight from its Texas facilities and splash down in the Pacific off the coast of Hawaii later this year. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX may launch rockets from an ocean spaceport as soon as next year]() \[*Engadget*\] **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Appears to Be Assembling Its Orbital Starship Booster]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()