Starbase Louisiana in Focus as FAA Spaceport-Siting Comment Window Closes Oct. 26

What's open

The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation are asking for public and industry input on two questions: where new spaceports should be sited, and how "priority airspace for critical space launch corridors" should work. The request for information (RFI) was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 25, 2026, at 91 FR 54909, under docket FAA-2026-9736 (Federal Register notice).

This is a national request. It does not propose or approve any specific site, including Starbase Louisiana at Freshwater City in Vermilion Parish. It is also separate from the FAA's review of SpaceX's Texas site (docket FAA-2026-12808, comments due Nov. 30).

The deadline

The notice asks for written comments "on or before October 26, 2026" (Federal Register notice). The regulations.gov docket lists the comment period as closing at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 26, which is 10:59 p.m. Central, and says late comments will not be accepted (regulations.gov docket).

How to comment

- Online: at regulations.gov under docket FAA-2026-9736 (regulations.gov docket).

- By mail: Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001 (Federal Register notice).

DOT posts comments publicly without changes, including any personal information you include. The notice does not list an email address for submitting comments.

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation's comment

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation filed a comment in the docket dated Oct. 19 (LWF comment). KLFY reported it as the group's second comment letter to the FAA and DOT (KLFY).

In the letter, the federation says it "supports a strong American space program and does not oppose expansion of the commercial launch industry." It asks the agencies to "weigh environmental durability, wildlife and habitat conflicts, existing aviation and maritime uses, public access, and coastal hazards before a location is selected" (LWF comment).

The letter names the local area directly: "The Pecan Island and Freshwater City area lies within the Chenier Plain, one of North America's most important wintering landscapes for migratory waterfowl." Among its 10 recommendations, it asks the agencies to "Map proposed launch corridors against existing aviation activity, including Gulf oil-and-gas helicopter routes" and to "Develop explicit criteria for unsuitable locations" (LWF comment).

Rebecca Triche, the federation's executive director, told KLFY: "It's important to ask locals for input and them understanding what could be proposed and to also look at all of the sites that would be considered for some of these impacts" (KLFY).

Independent. Not affiliated with SpaceX, Vermilion Parish, or the State of Louisiana.