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Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

Is Kennedy Space Center soon expected to do 1,000 launches in one year?

Clinton Engelberger | Suncoast Searchlight, Suncoast Searchlight
no

Florida’s Space Coast is projected to hit a combined 300 launches by 2035. 

This is far from the 1,000 launches that Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds claimed the Kennedy Space Center alone would produce “into the future” at an April 21 event.

In 2025, Florida’s Space Coast –– which includes the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station –– recorded 109 launches, up from 31 in 2021 and 93 in 2024. 

Donalds said Kennedy Space Center produced 165 launches in 2025. It’s likely he was referring to SpaceX, which hit that number last year, but it’s unclear where exactly his claims and estimates were derived from.

While the state has seen rapid growth in spacecraft launches, Donalds’ estimates can’t be backed up by the numbers.

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