SpaceX clears one aviation authority hurdle for more launches in Texas

Centre has to meet additional measures to protect wildlife and environmental nature in area

SpaceX's giant Starship rocket at its Texas launch pad. SpaceX / AP

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation on Monday cleared a major hurdle towards more launches of its Starship rocket from a Texas centre.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said the expanded launch site near the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas would meet federal environmental requirements when SpaceX adopted more than 75 measures to address the effects on fish, wildlife and plants.

They include monitoring by a qualified biologist and advance notification to surrounding communities about engine noise and sonic booms from launches.

Opponents had said the conplex endangered fragile wetlands and wildlife.

The decision is a boost for SpaceX’s goal of sending starships to the Moon and Mars, but it does not guarantee an increase in launches.

The environmental review is only one step in the FAA’s approval process.

“SpaceX also must meet FAA safety, risk and financial responsibility requirements before a licence is issued for any launch activities,” the agency said.

The company must also adjust lighting at its site to minimise effects on wildlife and the nearby beach, and co-ordinate with government agencies to remove launch debris from sensitive habitats.

The FAA action finalises a process that took months longer than anticipated.

The agency had originally planned to issue its findings by the end of 2021, but it delayed the decision several times.

On April 29, the FAA said SpaceX’s “multiple changes to its application” had required more analysis.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a lengthy biological opinion in May that suggested conservation measures by SpaceX to minimise effects on local wildlife.

SpaceX’s Boca Chica site, at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border, is the company’s assembly site for its massive, fully reusable Starship rocket system.

Mr Musk said in February that the vehicle would mark a paradigm shift for the launch industry as it will be able to lift 100 tonnes to orbit for $10 million or less — essentially just the cost of fuel — enabling greater commercial activity in space and a human expansion to Mars.