SpaceX Gains Environmental Approval As It Inches Closer To Mars Rocket Launch
SpaceX’s proposed expansion in Boca Chica, Texas, has been given the go-ahead after months of delay, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) greenlighted the project following an environmental assessment of the site.
In a summary of the decision, the FAA said that the company’s Super Heavy rocket would not have any “significant impact” on the residents in the area, and that it could go ahead with the expansion without an in-depth Environmental Impact Statement, which Gizmodo noted would’ve taken years to develop.
“The FAA has determined the Proposed Action would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required, and the FAA is issuing this Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI),” said Amy Hanson, the agency’s Environmental Protection Specialist.
While SpaceX will first have to complete 75 environmental mitigation actions to go ahead with the expansion, the decision will still be seen by founder Elon Musk as a win, as it prevents the mission from going on an indefinite hiatus whilst the EIS is being completed.
However, according to the New York Times, the ruling has upset some in the environmental community, who feel that the impact to nature and wildlife in the surrounding area is “simply too large” to be ignored in the ruling.
Jim Chapman, a board member of non-profit group Save Rio Grande Valley (RGV), said his group may file a lawsuit against SpaceX and the FAA to undertake the more in-depth review.
Could we be seeing the Mars rocket launch in the near future? If things continue to go its way, it’s certainly what the firm would want, though environmentalists will no doubt try their best to put a stop to the party.
One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship https://t.co/MEcQ6gST6Q pic.twitter.com/jxqEsM62gc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 13, 2022
[via Gizmodo and New York Times, cover image via SpaceX]
