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The SpaceX private launch site is a space launch facility being built at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville, Texas for the private use of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). Its purpose is "to provide SpaceX an exclusive launch site that would allow the company to accommodate its launch manifest and meet tight launch windows."〔 The launch site will be the first commercial orbital launch facility〔 〕 and is intended to support launches of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles as well as "a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles."〔 SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has also indicated that he expects "commercial astronauts, private astronauts, to be departing from South Texas,"〔 and foresees launching spacecraft to Mars in the future.〔 During 2012 through mid-2014, SpaceX was considering seven potential locations around the United States for the new commercial launch pad. For much of this period, a parcel of land adjacent to Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas was the leading candidate location, during an extended period while the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted an extensive environmental assessment on the use of the Texas location as a launch site. Also during this period, SpaceX began acquiring land in the area, purchasing approximately and leasing by July 2014. SpaceX announced on August 4, 2014, that they had selected the location near Brownsville as the location for the new non-governmental launch site,〔 〕 after the final environmental assessment completed and environmental agreements were in place by early July 2014.〔 〕〔 〕〔 SpaceX started construction on the new launch facility in September 2014,〔 with the first launches from the facility expected to take place no earlier than 2016.〔〔 〕 When completed, it will become SpaceX's fourth active launch facility, following three launch locations that are leased from the US government. ==History== Private discussions between SpaceX and various state officials about a future private launch site began at least as early as 2011,〔 〕 and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk mentioned interest in a private launch site for their commercial launches in a speech on September 29, 2011. The company publicly announced on August 4, 2014, that they had decided on Texas as the location for their new non-governmental launch site〔 with construction expected to begin later in 2014. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SpaceX private launch site」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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