SpaceX a step closer to approval for launches
Aim is to send up a rocket with a spaceship; FAA releases a draft environmental review
SpaceX is one step closer to receiving federal approval to launch its Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft into orbit from South Texas.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which issues commercial launch licenses, released a draft environmental review Friday that describes the various ways SpaceX might affect the region’s air quality, noise level, wildlife, water and more.
The review also provided details on how the Super Heavy and the Starship, being tested in Boca Chica, are being developed to carry humans to the moon and Mars.
The FAA plans to hold virtual public hearings Oct. 6 and 7, and the public is invited to submit comments through Oct. 18. SpaceX has conducted test flights of its Starship but cannot launch the combined Super Heavy and Starship into orbit until the FAA completes its licensing process, which includes the environmental review.
“Please add your voice to the public comments. Support is greatly appreciated!” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Twitter. “Humanity’s future on the moon, Mars & beyond depends upon it.”
The combined Super Heavy and Starship are expected to be 400 feet tall. The Super Heavy could have up to 37 Raptor rocket engines, and the Starship could have up to six of these engines.
Once operational, the combined Super Heavy and Starship could launch to orbit five times a year.
But launches and tests could be more frequent while the company develops these vehicles. Starship could take suborbital flights, in which the vehicle climbs to a high altitude and then lands without circling the Earth, up to 20 times a year. The Super Heavy could launch three times a year, suborbital or orbital, with or without the Starship on top.
Texas 4, the only road leading to SpaceX, could be closed for up to
500 hours a year for “nominal” operations, which means everything is going as planned. SpaceX is seeking an additional 300 hours a year to clean up debris after explosions, crash landings or other anomalies.
Frequent road closures, currently allowed for up to 300 hours, have become a point of contention as Texas 4 connects Brownsville to a beach, homes of retirees, a wildlife refuge and a state park.
When SpaceX first proposed launching rockets from South Texas, it was going to launch the tried-andtrue Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. It did not say it would use the area for rocket testing, which has already resulted in multiple explosions. The additional 300 hours for “anomaly response closures” suggests that explosions are likely to continue, said David Newstead, director of the coastal bird program for the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.
“It basically acknowledges that this is a testing site, and they’re going to expect failure and expect more debris in the refuge,” he said. “And basically what they’re saying now is, ‘We want to keep doing that, and we want you to agree to it.’”
Before releasing its draft environmental review, the FAA collected comments outlining concerns and support for SpaceX.
Among the concerns were potential impacts on protected species and habitat, the closure of public areas and the safety of launch operations, given the proximity to nearby liquefied natural gas facilities. Among the positive impacts identified were economic benefits to the regional economy, new jobs and the continued innovation and progress of commercial space transportation.
“As a local from Brownsville, I am in full support of SpaceX and their mission!” said @austinbarnard45 on Twitter.
“The proposed @spacex Starship/Super Heavy project in Boca Chica is the BEST space-related thing to have happened,” added @xsaltwedgex, “ever since the last AMAZING thing that SpaceX did... whatever that was, as there are SO MANY amazing things being done by them. Let’s goOOoOO!!”
The draft environmental review was prepared by SpaceX under FAA supervision. Its summary of environmental consequences covered a wide variety of impacts. Under climate, for instance, the environmental review said launch-related and power plant operations are estimated to emit 47,522 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This is “substantially less” than total greenhouse gas emissions generated by the U.S. in 2018, the review said. As such, the company’s proposed actions are not expected to result in significant climate-related impacts.
Similarly, the sonic boom created when Starship and Super Heavy return to land isn’t expected to cause significant noise impacts. There could be structural damage on South Padre Island with minor impacts, such as glass breaking, but this is expected to be rare.
Construction could permanently fill 17.16 acres of wetlands. Fill material would be required to elevate areas out of the floodplain, and the proposed expansions would result in the filling of 25.8 acres of floodplain. The environmental review said the “relatively small area (less than 1 percent of the contiguous area) would not result in new areas being subject to 100year floods, nor would it result in existing areas subject to 100-year floods becoming more prone to floods.” As such, the SpaceX project is not expected to have significant impacts on water resources.
The environmental review also outlined SpaceX mitigation efforts, including eliminating unnecessary light during turtle nesting season and monitoring disturbed areas for the spread of non-native vegetation.
If the FAA determines that the company’s environmental impacts would be significant — and that those impacts could not be properly mitigated — it could require an Environmental Impact Statement. The draft shared Friday was a less-rigorous Environmental Assessment.
SpaceX conducted an impact statement prior to building in South Texas, but the proposed Super HeavyStarship launches prompted this additional environmental review. Michael Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, questioned conducting a less-rigorous Environmental Assessment when the company’s scope of work has expanded so dramatically.
He said the area is an important winter habitat for shorebirds. It has one of the largest winter concentrations of the piping plover, a shorebird listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“We’re not happy with the location or the scale of the operation at all,” he said. “It should be reduced, not expanded. We’re all in favor of exploring space. It’s great, but there are plenty of places to do this.”