Wildlife and environmental groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday over SpaceX’s massive rocket launch from Texas last month.
SpaceX’s Starship flew 24 miles (39 km) high before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The rocket’s self-destruct system caused the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) rocket to explode as it took off. control. test flight minutes.
An attorney for the Center for Biodiversity, one of the plaintiffs, said the groups are suing over what they say the FAA has failed to adequately consider the environmental impacts of the Starship program near Boca Chica Beach. in South Texas. They asked the court to cancel the 5-year license that the FAA had granted to SpaceX.
The FAA declined to comment, noting that it does not comment on ongoing litigation. The agency is overseeing the accident investigation and has ordered all space The spacecraft is grounded until it is certain that public safety will not be compromised.
Over the weekend, SpaceX founder and CEO, Elon Musksaid his company could be ready to launch the next Starship in six to eight weeks with FAA approval.
No injuries or significant damage to public property were reported from any rocket debris or launch pad debris. A large crater was carved into the concrete, as most of the rocket’s 33 main engines caught fire during takeoff.
The launch pad is located in a remote location at the southernmost tip of Texas, just below South Padre Island and about 20 miles from Brownsville.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported last week that large concrete blocks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were thrown thousands of feet (hundreds of meters) from the slab. cushion. Additionally, a crushed concrete beam sent material up to 6.4 miles (4 km) northwest of the pad, the service noted.
This is the first launch of a full-size Starship, with the spaceship looking like science fiction on a giant booster rocket. The company plans to use it to send people and goods to the moon and eventually Mars. NASA wants to use Starship to send astronauts to the lunar surface as soon as 2025.
Join the Center for Biological Diversity in the lawsuit, filed in US District Court at Washington D.Care American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV (Rio Grande Valley) and Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
“It’s important that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in the modern era of spaceflight,” said Jared Margolis of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Federal officials should protect frontline communities and vulnerable wildlife, not neglecting corporate interests that want to use precious coastal landscapes as a space landfill. “
Over the weekend, Musk said changes were being made at the launch pad to avoid what he called a dust storm and a “rock tornado” at the next launch.
“To the best of our knowledge, there hasn’t been any significant environmental damage that we know of,” Musk said.
Musk has promised to improve the next Starship before it even takes off. The self-destruct system would need to be modified so that the rocket explodes immediately – not 40 seconds or so later, as was the case with this first launch, he said.
His comments were made to a subscribers-only Twitter chat Saturday night, then posted online by others.
