Environment — Last month, SpaceX took a chance to launch its massive Starship rocket, which took off but failed to meet orbit.
While it was a milestone for the company, not everyone sees it the same way.
For example, environmental groups have taken action, suing the Federal Aviation Administration in Federal Court.
According to the groups, the agency failed to thoroughly investigate the potential damage of the launch or mishaps to the surrounding environment.
The rocket was touted as the most powerful one ever built.
It took off from a launch pad at a private SpaceX-owned spaceport in South Texas on April 20.
Four minutes into the flight, it exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.
The lawsuit
The lawsuit was filed in a Washington, DC, federal court on Monday.
It alleged that the FAA authorized the launch without complying with federal environmental law.
The launch was also authorized without analyzing the significant environmental and community impact of the launch program, which includes the destruction of some of the essential migratory bird habitats.
According to the lawsuit, the area around the launch is a vital habitat for federally protected species, including the endangered ocelot.
Jared Margolis, the senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, released a statement saying:
“It’s vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight.”
Environmental damage
The FAA found that the launch wouldn’t significantly impact the surrounding environment ahead of the April 20 launch.
As a result, the agency didn’t push through with an in-depth environmental assessment that would have taken more time.
Margolis said the SpaceX explosion proves the group’s legal argument that the FAA made an error in its decision.
“They just proved our point here,” said the attorney. “What ended up occurring was exactly what we expected.”
“There’s all kinds of environmental harm that’s clearly an issue and needs to be fully considered, and they didn’t consider it.”
Environmental groups suing the FAA hope the agency would return and take a deeper environmental analysis of the launch’s impact.
According to Margolis, a more in-depth analysis from the FAA could have issued a finding that SpaceX needed more water to cool its launch pad, which exploded.
The attorney argued that even when launches don’t end in an explosion, they still threaten bird species that use the area for migratory routes.
“It’s an incredibly important area for birds,” he said.
“There’s an incredible amount of heat and light from the launches even when they don’t go wrong.”
Margolis also pointed out that the impact of scattered debris isn’t over yet.
Environmental groups are worried the recovery efforts of heavy equipment picking up residual metal and concrete could endanger wildlife.
“You have so much [debris] in the area that recovering it could cause even more damage,” said Margolis.
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The FAA
The FAA is responsible for the licensure of commercial rocket launches.
It approved SpaceX for a launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth.
The FAA is also overseeing mishap investigations into the Starship’s failed flight test last month.
While it is routine, they occurred after smaller-scale Starship test launches in South Texas.
According to an emailed statement from the agency, the FAA’s review would determine the root cause of the explosion and identify corrective actions SpaceX should implement to avoid a similar problem.
Simultaneously, the FAA is carrying out an “anomaly response plan” connected to the Programmatic Environmental Assessment the FAA issued Starship in 2022.
“SpaceX is responsible for its implementation and for local, state, and federal compliance requirements,” said FAA spokesperson Steve Kulm.
Kulm was asked if the FAA could confirm if debris reached unexpected areas.
He said Cameron County issued a statement addressing all inquiries regarding the dust directed to SpaceX.
SpaceX
Elon Musk went live on a Twitter Spaces chat on Saturday evening, saying he believed SpaceX would be ready to launch another Starship.
Another test flight is in the cards within six to eight weeks from a technological standpoint.
Musk was defiant when asked about potential legal backlash from environmental groups.
“Look at an aerial picture of the area and – apart from the area around the launch stand – tell me where things are damaged,” he said.
“I think you can’t even see it at this point.”
“To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment.”
