SpaceX to potentially launch future rockets from decommissioned oil rigs
Marie Donlon | January 20, 2021Two decommissioned oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico may soon be converted into offshore launchpads for rockets destined for Earth’s orbit, the moon and even Mars.
According to reports from space news website NASASpaceFlight, the two 240 ft x 255 ft submersible oil rigs located in Brownsville, Texas, will be converted into launchpads by SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded by Elon Musk.
Source: Keppel FELS
Formerly dubbed ENSCO 8500 and ENSCO 8501, the oil rigs have been renamed Phobos and Deimos — in a nod to the two moons of Mars — potentially hinting at their intended future application as rocket launchpads.
Although SpaceX has stayed mum on the reports, the company sought an offshore operations engineer for designing and constructing an operational offshore rocket launch facility in 2020. Additionally Lone Star Minerals, the limited liability company that purchased the oil rigs, include one listed principal: Bret Johnsen, the CFO and president of strategic acquisitions at SpaceX.
That's a good idea. Helps minimize risk to folks on the ground. And gets you closer to the equator too.