SpaceX's giant Starship rocket may soon launch from Florida for the first time, from the same pad that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon.

All 14 Starship test flights so far have lifted off from the company's Starbase site in South Texas. The most recent, on September 28, reached orbit for the first time.

Now the company's work at Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is close to done. "Things are going super well at 39A," Julianna Scheiman, a SpaceX director, said at an October 1 briefing, Space.com reported. The new launch tower is nearly complete, and the pad is moving into testing before it is switched on.

Starship is the biggest rocket ever built, about 408 feet tall. It needs special gear. Its booster and upper stage are meant to fly back and be caught by the tower's huge "chopstick" arms. It also burns liquid methane, so the pad needs a new fuel tank farm.

SpaceX plans at least one more flight from Texas first. That means the first Florida launch could come on Flight 16.

Timing is uncertain. The next ship in line, Ship 42, has gone back for a third round of cold-pressure testing, and its engines were removed, NASASpaceFlight reported. The site guessed the change may target engine problems seen on earlier flights. Before any Florida launch, the booster must be test-fired at the pad and the full rocket must go through a fueling rehearsal.

Pad 39A has a long history. It hosted Apollo 8 and Apollo 11, and later space shuttle launches. NASA plans to use a Starship upper stage as a moon lander. Its first Artemis role, a 2027 docking test in Earth orbit with NASA's Orion capsule, is planned to launch from 39A.

SpaceX is also building two Starship pads at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

What we know: Pad 39A is nearly ready, and Flight 16 could be the first Florida launch.
What we don't: When Flights 15 and 16 will actually fly.