Following a multi-year environmental review, the FAA concluded that the expanded cadence of launches and landings would not significantly affect the environment, overruling objections from conservation groups who warned the move could endanger species such as sea turtles and shorebirds.
“The purpose of SpaceX’s proposed action is to provide greater mission capability to NASA and the Department of Defense,“ the FAA said in its finding.
The agency reviewed SpaceX’s application across multiple criteria, including air quality, noise pollution, and impacts on historic buildings, as well as biological effects at the company’s Starbase facility in southern Texas.
That facility officially became Starbase City on Saturday, following an election involving 283 eligible voters -- most of whom were SpaceX employees or connected to the company.
It further stated that while launches and sonic booms could “startle” sensitive species, including shorebirds, the overall impact would be minimal.
“In April 2023, a Super Heavy exploded during a failed launch attempt, raining boulder-sized chunks of concrete and flaming debris onto the wildlife refuge,“ Defenders of Wildlife and Audubon Texas wrote in a joint letter.
The groups also flagged potential impacts to critically endangered Rice’s whales -- of which only a few dozen are thought to remain -- stemming from ocean landings.
To date, Starship has completed eight integrated test flights atop the Super Heavy booster, with four successes and four failures ending in explosions.
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