FAA SpaceX Starship environmental review clears Texas program to move forward

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said it would be necessary Of Elon Musk SpaceX will also conduct further starship flight tests and make dozens of environmental adjustments to begin operations at its facility in Bocachica, Texas.

SpaceX needs to take more than 75 actions to mitigate its environmental impact before the company receives a site launch license, FAA said in a press release. Mitigation measures include the protection of water resources, the limitation of noise levels, and the management of biohazardous materials.

Within the requirements, SpaceX will coordinate lighting inspections with “qualified biologists” to minimize the impact on sea turtles, operate an employee shuttle between the city of Brownsville and the facility, and locals. Quarterly cleaning of Bocachica Beach.

The company also contributed to local education and conservation activities, including producing historical background reports on the Mexican-American War and civil war events that took place in the region, and replacing ornaments lacking local historical signs. increase. The company also donates $ 5,000 annually to Ocelot, an organization that protects endangered birds of prey, and state recreational fishing programs.

The FAA has also issued new rules for closing public roads that pass through SpaceX’s facilities. For example, you need to open the road on 18 specific holidays and most weekends.

According to FAA, SpaceX has already made changes to its Starbase facility expansion, and the company has removed infrastructure plans for desalination plants, natural gas pretreatment systems, liquefaction equipment and power plants.

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Monday, but shared a link to the FAA’s website in a tweet with a short message saying, “We’re one step closer to Starship’s first orbital flight test.”

The company is developing a reusable starship rocket about 400 feet high to carry cargo and groups of people across the globe. The rocket and its super heavy boosters are powered by SpaceX’s Raptor series engines.

FAA began reviewing the program in November 2020 after beginning to build infrastructure and operations in the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, Texas.

The agency has postponed the final assessment five times over the past six months as it considered input to the program. Monday’s ruling of the mitigated discovery that there is no significant impact is still a partial victory for SpaceX and saves the company from a longer review of its business, known as the Environmental Impact Statement.

The FAA released two important documents on Monday. Overview of environmental assessment When A detailed summary of the actions the company must take..

As part of the FAA review Earlier this year’s report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained by CNBC We have found a correlation between SpaceX activity in the region and the recent decline in local populations of the endangered Piping Plover. However, FWS has proposed a minimal spending or conservation effort from SpaceX.

SpaceX has completed several high-altitude flight tests using the Starship prototype, but has not yet reached space due to development and regulatory delays. February, CEO mask Presented about Starship at Starbase, TexasOutlines the forward path and obstacles for rocket testing.