A prototype of the Starship is on the company’s launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, on March 16, 2022.
SpaceX
The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it will require Elon Musk’s SpaceX to make dozens of environmental adjustments to conduct more Starship flight tests and begin operational launches from its Boca Chica facilities. Texas.
SpaceX will have to take more than 75 actions to mitigate environmental impacts before the company can receive a site launch license, the FAA said in a press release. Mitigation includes protection of water resources, noise level limits, and control of biohazardous materials, among others.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment, but in a tweet shared a link to the FAA website with a brief message: “One step closer to Starship’s first orbital flight test “.
The company is developing its nearly 400-foot-tall reusable Starship rocket with the goal of transporting cargo and groups of people beyond Earth. The rocket and its Super Heavy thruster are powered by SpaceX’s Raptor series of engines.
The FAA began a review of the program in November 2020 after the company began building its infrastructure and operations on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, near the city of Brownsville, Texas.
The agency delayed its final evaluation five times in the last six months while reviewing contributions to the program. Monday’s decision of a mitigated finding of no significant impact is still a partial victory for SpaceX, saving the company a longer review of its operations, known as the Environmental Impact Statement.
The FAA released two key documents on Monday: a summary of the environmental assessment and a detailed summary of the actions to be taken by the company.
As part of the FAA review, a report earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained by CNBC found a correlation between SpaceX activity in the area and recent declines in space. local population of endangered bird species. However, the FWS suggested a minimum cost or maintenance commitment by SpaceX.
SpaceX has completed multiple high-altitude flight tests with Starship prototypes, but has yet to reach space after development and regulatory delays. In February, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a presentation on Starship at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas, describing the road ahead and the obstacles to rocket testing.