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The Federal Aviation Administration released a draft environmental review of SpaceX’s plans for orbital launches from South Texas on Friday, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.
The long-awaited procedural step is the first of several regulatory hurdles SpaceX must overcome before obtaining final clearance to launch its Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from a site near Boca Chica, Texas. Such a launch is likely to be months away, but now it looks like federal authorities will finally give South Texas the green light for orbital launches. It seemed far from certain until today.
The document, officially called a Programmatic Environmental Assessment Project, assesses the potential environmental impacts of SpaceX’s Starship program, including launch and re-entry. It also examines debris salvage, the integration tower and other construction related to the launch, as well as local road closures between Brownsville and Boca Chica Beach.
For the vast majority of these analyzes, the FAA document finds “no significant impact”. The impact of noise on surrounding communities, including South Padre Island several miles away, was seen as one of the biggest concerns. But an independent assessment found the noise levels to be manageable.
One exception fell under the category “biological resources”. “The FAA has determined that the proposed action would adversely affect listed species and critical habitat designated under federal Endangered Species Act,” the report said. However, there may be a way to mitigate these impacts. Another potential area of concern is excessive road closures on Highway 4. This may be one of the reasons SpaceX is offering an average of five Super Heavy launches per year during the operational phase of the program.
Following the publication of this draft assessment, the FAA will hold virtual public hearings on October 6 and 7 before the public comment period ends on October 18, 2021. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has requested help on Twitter shortly after the FAA released the draft document. “Please add your voice to public comments” Musk said. “The support is greatly appreciated! The future of humanity on the Moon, on Mars and beyond depends on it. “
After the public comment period closes, the FAA will finalize its environmental assessment. Following this, the FAA will issue one of three decisions: a finding of zero impact (FONSI), a mitigated FONSI, or a notice of intention to prepare an environmental impact assessment. A “FONSI” would allow the formal launch authorization process to take place. If a full environmental impact statement is required, launches from South Texas would likely be delayed by months, if not years, as more paperwork is completed.
SpaceX has not disclosed the full extent of its launch plans for Super Heavy and Starship, but the document suggests that the company could potentially land its Super Heavy booster on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and Starship could land on remote islands in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX will also likely perform launches from a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a platform at the Kennedy Space Center.
The upside to Friday’s release of the document is that SpaceX can now move forward with some confidence that it will eventually at least be able to perform Super Heavy and Starship orbital test flights from the south Texas. This is essential because the site is only a few kilometers from the factory where the company assembles the giant rocket and the spacecraft.
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