SpaceX announced Monday its plans to launch Starship from Kennedy Space Center later this year while building out more than $1.8 billion in infrastructure in Florida to support two launch sites.

DeSantis confirmed Florida’s commitment to support future missions for SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket. “Florida is the present and future of the space industry with leading space companies, like SpaceX, investing in the free state of Florida. We welcome SpaceX’s Starship to our state,” DeSantis said.

SpaceX is planning to invest at least $1.8 billion to build new Starship launchpads and processing facilities on Florida's Space Coast, eyeing a key expansion for the rocket program beyond Texas amid pending environmental reviews,