Environmental groups sue US FAA over SpaceX launch licence for Texas

US government challenged by environmental groups claiming agency did not require greater study

The launch pad after the SpaceX Starship lift-off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. AFP

Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk's SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in Texas.

The lawsuit comes 11 days after SpaceX made good on a new FAA licence to send its next-generation Starship rocket on its first test flight, ending with the vehicle exploding over the Gulf of Mexico after blasting the launch pad to ruins on lift-off.

The shattering force of the lift-off hurled chunks of reinforced concrete and metal shrapnel hundreds of metres from the site.

The blast also ignited a 1.4-hectare fire on nearby grounds and sent a cloud of pulverised concrete drifting 10km and raining down over tidal flats and the nearby town of Port Isabel, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.

SpaceX hailed the launch as a qualified success that will advance development of its Starship and Super Heavy rocket, major components in Nasa's new Artemis programme for returning astronauts to the Moon.

But Monday's lawsuit said the April 20 incident marked the latest in a series of at least nine explosive mishaps at Boca Chica, disrupting a haven for federally protected wildlife and vital habitat for migratory birds.

Noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic also degrade the area, home to endangered ocelots and jaguarundis, as well as nesting sites for endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles and critical habitat for threatened shorebirds, the suit says.

The disturbances show the FAA violated federal law by permitting expanded operations at the Starbase in Boca Chica without mandating the full environmental impact study normally required for major projects, the lawsuit asserts.

The 31-page complaint seeks to revoke the FAA licence and require an EIS.

Mr Musk, SpaceX founder and chief executive, addressed criticism in remarks on Saturday, saying the debris scattered by the launch amounted to “a human-made sandstorm”.

“It's not toxic at all or anything,” he said. “It did scatter a lot of dust, but to the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we're aware of.”

SpaceX had vigorously opposed subjecting its Starbase to an EIS review, a process that typically takes years, even decades.

An EIS involves extensive analysis of the project at stake and alternatives, along with mitigation plans to curb or offset harmful impacts.

The FAA granted its licence following a far less thorough environmental assessment and a finding that SpaceX activities at Boca Chica pose “no significant impact” on the environment.

The lawsuit challenges that finding as a breach of the National Environmental Policy Act.

“It's vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of space flight,” said Jared Margolis, a senior lawyer representing one of several groups bringing the suit in federal court.

For the time being, the Starship and the Super Heavy rocket are effectively grounded under a “mishap” investigation opened by the FAA immediately after the launch, as required by law.