A launch facility for SuperHeavy/Starship, including launch tower, tank farm, launch mount, and deluge system. It does not have a flame trench due to the geology of the site, instead relying on the deluge system to handle the intense forces of the many Raptor engines on a SuperHeavy booster.
In addition to its function as a launch tower, the launch site supports (the as-yet theoretical) recovery of both Super heavy and Starship, using the "Mechazilla" arms.
Identified in early environmental review submittals and company video renderings, the second launch site at Boca Chica is both a hedge against launch failures, as well as a way to improve the pace of launches when Starship requires multiple launches for fuel and oxidizer refilling for virtually all mission profiles.
Construction at Boca Chica began with soil surcharging in 2015, but construction of Orbital Launch Site 2 did not begin until May 2024, when foundation work began and the first sections of the launch tower arrived from their point of fabrication, off-site. As of August 2024, tower construction is not complete, but substantial progress has been made, assembling the main tower sections.
