Technology
US FAA extends SpaceX Starship release environmental assessment time
According to the latest report, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that the agency’s environmental assessment of SpaceX’s planned launch of Starship in South Texas is not expected to end until April 29, more than most recently expected a month late.
This is the third time the FAA has delayed the completion of an environmental review for SpaceX’s Starship launch, which would assess the impact of the launch on the area around Boca Chica, Texas. The FAA is also considering potential impacts on migratory birds and other species in wildlife reserves, some of which are endangered.
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Moreover, SpaceX plans to conduct the first orbital test flight of the Starship prototype at its facility in Boca Chica this year. So far, the Starship prototype has only made brief low-altitude test flights in Boca Chica, which borders the Gulf of Mexico, and has a maximum altitude of about 40,000 feet (12 kilometers) without boosters.
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is expected to be released on March 28, but the agency will need to work with the agency before the final version is released, FAA spokesman Steven Kulm said in an email Friday. Local, Texas, and federal agencies coordinate. The FAA had planned to complete the review last year, but it was delayed due to more than 19,000 public comments.
Furthermore, completing the environmental assessment does not guarantee the agency will issue a launch license to SpaceX, the FAA said, and the company must also “meet the FAA’s safety, risk and financial responsibility requirements.” That could delay any SpaceX launch in Texas until next year.
Musk has previously said that if this happens, SpaceX’s Starship launch plans may need to move to the Kennedy Space Center in the short term, where launch pad 39-A supports the new rocket launch, which currently uses Launched SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
Still, the Texas facility remains the preferred location for SpaceX to continue testing Starship. Musk once explained: “Because we have a lot of launches at the Cape Canaveral launch site, we don’t want to disrupt the regular launch rhythm there because of the advanced research and development of Starship. Therefore, the routine operation launch is separated from the R&D launch. Coming is critical, and that’s why we want to stay in Texas.”
2022 will prove to be SpaceX’s busiest year yet, as its existing rocket launch rhythm is very steady, with 10 launches already in the first 10 weeks of the year, with planned launches at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral The launch site and Vandenberg Air Force Base conducted at least 50 launches. Just over the next month, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon spacecraft on two missions to the International Space Station.
As a result, a transfer to the Kennedy Space Center for Starship testing could be complicated. SpaceX’s Starship is fully reusable, and it can carry more payloads into orbit than any rocket ever before, all while costing only $10 million per launch.