SpaceX has filed permits for a 55-acre Starship testing site in Brevard County, according to documents submitted to the St. Johns River Water Management District. The facility, located near SpaceX’s existing Operations Area Roberts along Schwartz Road west of Kennedy Parkway North, would conduct engine tests before Starship vehicles are moved to the launch pad. SpaceX says launches from Florida could begin as soon as this year. The project, dubbed "Project Ignition," includes a test stand and infrastructure for static-fire tests, which involve firing rocket engines while the vehicle remains secured to the ground. These tests help engineers verify systems before a launch. "It is loud, it is ferocious," said Brandon Wynn, chief operating officer of Interstellar Gateway, who has seen similar tests in Texas. "You get the sense of how important it is given that this vehicle could carry dozens of humans at a time." The testing site would be part of SpaceX’s expanding Starship operations on the Space Coast. Plans also call for Starship vehicles to eventually be built at a nearby Gigabay facility. The permit application does not specify a timeline for construction or when testing would begin. SpaceX has not responded to requests for comment. The site would be the second Starship testing area in Florida, following existing operations at the company’s South Florida facilities. Local officials have not yet commented on the permit. The 55-acre site would be developed on land currently used for other SpaceX operations. The company has not provided details on how many jobs the project would create or how much it would cost to build. The permit application includes environmental impact assessments, which the water management district will review before approving the project.