SpaceX Eyes Port Of Los Angeles Site For Future Facility

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – SpaceX is looking into an 18-acre site at the Port of Los Angeles for a future facility to build commercial transportation vessels that are so huge that they must be moved by water, it was reported Tuesday. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved an environmental review last week for the proposed project at Terminal Island, clearing the way for a potential 10-year lease with the possibility of up to two 10-year extensions, the Daily Breeze reported.

The Hawthorne-based rocket maker already leases 8.1 acres in San Pedro's Outer Harbor, where rocket boosters and other spacecraft returning from orbital missions can be docked.

But the new facility on the former Southwest Marine Shipyard would be used "to design, develop, and manufacture prototypes and first-generation models of specialized commercial transportation vessels," according to a project description cited by the Breeze.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk plans to design a deep-space rocket, called the BFR, for missions to Mars and to transport passengers around the world in record time.

Neither SpaceX nor port officials would elaborate on plans for the site, but they confirmed that talks have begun, according to the Breeze.

"At the direction of Mayor (Eric) Garcetti, the port has entered into preliminary negotiations with SpaceX for this site," port spokesman Phillip Sanfield told the Breeze.

SpaceX spokeswoman Eva Behrend added that the company "is in preliminary discussions with the Port of L.A. about the potential of leasing additional land for operations."

According to a project description in a California Environmental Quality Act review, "the vessels, once complete, would be too large for delivery by road and thus must be taken via supply barge, necessitating the facility be located adjacent to the water."

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Photo: CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - FEBRUARY 05: The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket sits on launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center as it is prepared for tomorrow's lift-off on February 5, 2018 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket, which is the most powerful rocket in the world, is scheduled to make its maiden flight between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)