A prototype of Starship stands on the company’s launch site 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 additional Starship flight tests and launch operational launches from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX will have to take more than 75 actions to mitigate the environmental impact before the company receives a license to launch the site, the FAA said in a press release. Mitigation measures include protection of water resources, restrictions on noise levels and control of biological materials, among others.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment, but tweeted a link to the FAA website with a short message: “One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship.”
The company is developing its nearly 400-foot-high reusable Starship rocket to transport cargo and groups of people off-Earth. The rocket and its Super Heavy booster are powered by SpaceX’s Raptor series of engines.
The FAA began reviewing the program in November 2020 after the company began building its infrastructure and operations on the Gulf Coast near Brownsville, Texas.
The agency has delayed its final evaluation five times in the last six months as it reviewed contributions to the program. His decision on Monday to mitigate a finding without significant impact is still a partial victory for SpaceX, saving the company from a longer review of its operations, known as the Environmental Impact Statement.
The FAA released two key documents Monday: A summary of the environmental assessment and a detailed overview of the actions the company needs to take.
As part of a FAA review, a report earlier this year from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, obtained by CNBC, found a link between SpaceX’s activity in the area and the recent decline in the local reed population, an endangered bird species. However, FWS offered minimal costs or conservation commitments from SpaceX.
SpaceX has completed a number of high-altitude flight tests with prototypes of Starship, but has not yet reached space after delays in development and regulators. In February, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a presentation on Starship at the Starbase facility in Texas, outlining the way forward and the obstacles to rocket testing.
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