SpaceX project’s FAA review delayed after receiving 18,000 comments
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2 min read . Updated: 30 Dec 2021, 05:49 PM IST Environmental review is one part of commercial space licensing process for facility in Boca Chica, Texas
Federal regulators have delayed the release of an environmental review of SpaceX’s plan to launch a new rocket from Texas by two months. One of the reasons? Too many comments from the public.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it received more than 18,000 public messages on the project, causing it to push back the release of its environmental review from Dec. 31 to Feb. 28. The agency said SpaceX is working on responses to the comments.
In addition, the FAA said it is continuing its consultation and coordination with other agencies at the local, state and federal level.
SpaceX, founded by Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk almost two decades ago, didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The review is required in order for SpaceX to get permission from the agency to launch the Starship rocket from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas, a remote area by the Gulf of Mexico that is east of the city of Brownsville.
“FAA approval is the schedule driver," Mr. Musk said on Twitter on Wednesday, in response to a question about the timing of the first orbital flight.
Starship, which Mr. Musk has called the “biggest rocket ever made," is designed to one day bring people to the moon or Mars, or be blasted into Earth’s orbit. It can also send satellites into orbit.
Starship has broader implications for SpaceX, too. The design underpins a $2.9 billion NASA contract to provide a lunar lander for astronauts later in the decade, and is a foundation of the company’s future business strategy. SpaceX wants to use the vehicle in part to build out its satellite-internet service Starlink.
SpaceX’s plans in Boca Chica have received backlash from some residents, who told The Wall Street Journal in May that they were being pressured to sell their homes to the company. The company didn’t respond to requests for comment at the time. Some environmentalist groups have also raised concerns.
Other area residents have advocated for SpaceX’s plans, citing economic benefits.
The FAA is assessing how the rocket launches and landings could affect air quality, noise and other environmental issues. It asked the public for comments in September and stopped taking them on Nov. 1.
The environmental review is just one part of the process for commercial space licensing. SpaceX must also meet FAA safety, risk and financial responsibility requirements, the agency said.
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SpaceX currently has a license to test Starship prototypes at the launch site, according to the FAA. That involves static fire engine tests and suborbital launches from just a few inches to up to 18 miles off the ground.
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