SpaceX plans to lease one building and construct a newer second building at Port Canaveral, just two miles from where it launches its Falcon 9 rockets from the Cape Canaveral space pad, port chief John Murray tells Flordia Today. The company plans on leasing the former 52,000 square foot Spacehab building, which used to belong to the aerospace company now called Astrotech Corporation. The new building will be constructed nearby.

SpaceX plans on both processing and refurbishing its Falcon rockets at the port. The site is where the company has sent its recovered first stage boosters, including four it has safely landing on drone ships at sea. So this expansion is a sign of the company’s more aggressive push to transform its rocket operation into a renewable enterprise, whereby its Falcon rockets are launched from Cape Canaveral, recovered at sea, and sent to the port to be retooled.

"With SpaceX’s recent progress in recovering first stage Falcon 9 boosters, we’re looking to expand our facilities on the Space Coast to support rocket refurbishment," says SpaceX spokesman John Taylor. Murray says a lease agreement for the former Spacehab building may be finalized as soon as early September. While it waits for approval, SpaceX will be moving into the building by relying on a temporary property use permit.