The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is facing a lawsuit from environmental and cultural-heritage nonprofits following its approval of the latest SpaceX launch.
The FAA is accused of violating the National Environment Policy Act by allowing SpaceX to launch the largest rocket ever assembled at its Boca Chica, Texas, facility without a comprehensive environmental review, according to CNBC.
The launch in question was SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy test flight on April 20, which exploded just minutes after takeoff, reportedly spreading particulate matter for miles and sending concrete and metal sheets into sensitive habitats.
The suit alleges that it also sparked a 3.5-acre fire on state park land near the launch site.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was brought by The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, the Surfrider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley, and the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
The groups contend that the FAA failed to conduct a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before approving the launch.
“The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures,” the lawsuit reads, according to NBC 5 DFW.
The lawsuit claims that the FAA’s chief of staff for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation said in June 2020 that the agency was planning to conduct an EIS, but “based on SpaceX’s preference” the federal agency used “a considerably less thorough analysis,” allowing SpaceX to launch sooner, per NBC 5.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter Spaces over the weekend, “To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”
The impact of the launch is still being investigated by federal and state agencies and environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX.
Boca Chica’s beaches and National Wildlife Refuge land are home to several endangered species, including Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the most endangered sea turtle in the world.
As of last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had found no evidence of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act experiencing any harm. However, it took the researchers two days to access the site, so it is possible that carcasses were washed away, eaten by predators, or removed, according to NBC 5.
The FAA has grounded all SpaceX Starships pending further review.
Elon Musk said over the weekend that the next Starship will be available to launch in six to eight weeks pending the FAA’s approval, according to AP News.
