SpaceX recently began construction of a $250 million building at its Starbase complex, according to statesman.com.
The building will help boost production of Starship, the mega-rocket that founder Elon Musk claims will colonize Mars.
The 30-story structure, known as a "Gigabay" in SpaceX terminology, will provide 700,000 sq. ft. of space. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, statesman.com said.
Contractors were not named, although Dallas-based HDR was listed as the design firm on filing, chron.com reported.
The company anticipates as many as 25 launches annually, so the new facility will speed up SpaceX's assembly, maintenance and refurbishment of Starships, according to statesman.com.
Progress did slow after three failed flights and a June 18, 2025, explosion during testing of the rocket's upper stage. And on June 23, a crane collapsed while explosion debris was removed. No injuries were reported in either incident.
SpaceX hasn't said when its launches will resume.
The Gigabay project is the most expensive infrastructure project at Starbase — the city being established around SpaceX — exceeding the $164 million cost of the combination rocket plant and office building, dubbed Starfactory, according to statesman.com. That structure is largely complete.
The 380-ft.-tall "specialized industrial facility" is nearly 100 ft. taller than the other Starship production and maintenance structures at the rocket complex.
SpaceX is building a similar structure at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it expands to that state, statesman.com reported. The Florida Gigabay will be 815,000 sq. ft., about 115,000 sq. ft. larger than the Texas version.
"With production, integration, refurbishment and launch facilities in Florida as well as Texas, we will be in a position to quickly ramp Starship's launch rate via rapid reusability," SpaceX said in the update, according to chron,com.
Equipped with cranes that can lift 400 tons, Gigabays allow SpaceX to work on both Starships and their Super Heavy boosters. The top floors also include work and meeting space, statesman.com reported.
The Gigabay will be 11 times larger than the "megabay" facilities at Starbase, which are now the company's largest such buildings, SpaceX said, according to statesman.com.
SpaceX recently demolished a 266-ft.-tall structure that was known as the "High Bay" to make room for the Gigabay.
In May, SpaceX announced plans for a $22 million community building, chron.com reported.
