Musk's Spacex Clears FAA Hurdle For Expanded Launches At Texas Facility
Date
6/13/2022 6:11:49 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Bloomberg
Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. cleared a major hurdle toward routine launches of its massive Starship rocket from a Texas facility.
The federal Aviation Administration on Monday said the expanded launch site near the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas would meet federal environmental requirements once SpaceX takes more than 75 measures to address the impact on fish, wildlife and plants.
Those steps include monitoring by a qualified biologist and advance notification to surrounding communities about potential engine noise and sonic booms from launches. Opponents had argued the facility endangered fragile wetlands and wildlife.
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The decision is a boost for SpaceX's goal of sending Starship to the moon and Mars, but it doesn't guarantee an increase in launches. The environmental review is only one step in the FAA's approval process.
'SpaceX also must meet FAA safety, risk, and financial responsibility requirements before a license is issued for any launch activities,” the agency said in a press release.
The company must also adjust lighting at its facility to minimize impacts on wildlife and the nearby beach and coordinate with government agencies to remove launch debris from sensitive habitats.
SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FAA action finalizes a process that took months longer than anticipated. The agency had originally planned to issue its findings by the close of 2021, but it delayed the decision several times. On April 29, the FAA said SpaceX's 'multiple changes to its application” had required additional analysis.
The FAA announcement follows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issuing a lengthy biological opinion in May that suggested several conservation measures by SpaceX to minimize impacts on local wildlife.
SpaceX's Boca Chica site, at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border, is the company's assembly site for its massive, fully reusable Starship rocket system. Musk said in February that the vehicle will mark a paradigm shift for the launch industry as it will be able to lift 100 metric tons to orbit for $10 million or less -- essentially just the cost of fuel -- enabling greater commercial activity in space and a human expansion to Mars.
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