Tag: SpaceX

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Environmental groups file lawsuit against SpaceX

by Joseph Brown

May 22, 2023

Environment — SpaceX took a bet last month when it launched its enormous Starship rocket, which blasted off but failed ...

Environment — SpaceX took a bet last month when it launched its enormous Starship rocket, which blasted off but failed to reach space. While it was a significant achievement for the company, not everyone saw it the same way. Environmental organizations, for example, have taken action by suing the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court. According to the groups, the agency neglected to adequately evaluate the possible harm or disasters to the surrounding environment caused by the launch. The rocket was billed as the most powerful ever constructed. On April 20, it lifted out from a launch pad at a private SpaceX spaceport in South Texas. It detonated over the Gulf of Mexico four minutes into the trip.

The lawsuit

On Monday, the case was filed in a federal court in Washington, DC. It claimed that the FAA permitted the launch in violation of federal environmental law. The launch was also approved without considering the program's major environmental and community effect, which includes the loss of certain critical migratory bird habitats. The region near the launch, according to the lawsuit, is critical habitat for federally protected animals such as the endangered ocelot. The Center for Biological Diversity's senior attorney, Jared Margolis, issued 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

Prior to the April 20 launch, the FAA determined that the launch would not have a significant impact on the surrounding environment. As a result, the government did not conduct a thorough environmental review, which would have taken more time. According to Margolis, the SpaceX accident confirms the group's legal claim that the FAA made a mistake in its judgment. "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 organizations suing the FAA are hoping that the agency will return and do a more thorough environmental examination of the launch's impact. According to Margolis, a more thorough FAA investigation may have shown that SpaceX needed more water to cool its launch pad, which detonated. The attorney contended that even if the launches do not result in an explosion, they endangered 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 further stated that the impact of dispersed debris is not yet over. Environmental organizations are concerned that heavy machinery scooping up remaining metal and concrete would damage animals. "You have so much [debris] in the area that recovering it could cause even more damage," said Margolis. Read also: Submarines to be delivered to South Korea

The FAA

The FAA is in charge of commercial rocket launch licenses. After more than a year of back-and-forth, it authorized SpaceX for a launch attempt. The FAA is also in charge of investigating the Starship's failed flying test last month. While this is common, it happened after a smaller-scale Starship test launch in South Texas. The FAA's study, according to an emailed statement from the agency, will discover the root cause of the explosion and recommend corrective steps SpaceX should take to avoid a similar occurrence in the future. Simultaneously, the FAA is implementing an "anomaly response plan" related to the Programmatic Environmental Assessment given by the FAA to 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 whether debris had reached unanticipated locations. He stated that Cameron County published a statement in response to all concerns about the dust addressed towards SpaceX.

SpaceX

On Saturday evening, Elon Musk went live on a Twitter Spaces discussion, stating he felt SpaceX will be ready to launch another Starship. From a technology aspect, another test flight is planned within the next six to eight weeks. When questioned about the possibility of legal action from environmental organizations, Musk sounded combative. "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."

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Environmental groups file lawsuit against SpaceX

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The lawsuit

Environmental damage

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