Environmentalists sue the US Civil Aviation Administration over SpaceX launch
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An environmental group is suing the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over an April SpaceX rocket launch from Texas. An attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs, said they believe the FAA failed to fully address the environmental impact of the Starship program near Boca Chica Beach. The plaintiffs are asking the court to revoke a five-year FAA license issued by SpaceX, reports the Associated Press.
The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Washington, and was also joined by the American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV (Rio Grande Valley) and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas. The FAA declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit.
The SpaceX launch site is located in a remote location on the southernmost tip of Texas, just below South Padre Island.
There were no reports of any injury or significant damage to public property as a result of the missile crash or flying pad debris. A large crater formed on the concrete pad as most of the rocket’s engines caught fire on takeoff.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported last week that large pieces of concrete, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were thrown hundreds of meters from the site. In addition, crushed concrete was released up to 4 km northwest of the site.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said over the weekend that changes were being made to the launch pad to avoid what he called a dust storm and a “rock tornado” on the next launch. “To the best of our knowledge, there has been no significant environmental damage that we know about,” the businessman said. He also promised to make improvements to the next spacecraft before launch. His words were posted on April 29 in a subscriber-only Twitter chat, later reposted by other users.
The SpaceX rocket took off to a height of 39 km before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The FAA is overseeing the investigation into the accident and has banned all Starships from taking off until it is certain that public safety is not at risk. Musk said his company could be ready to launch the next Starship in six to eight weeks if the FAA gives the go-ahead.
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