SpaceX gets environmental approval for Mars rocket, but no launch license yet

SpaceX will be allowed to launch Starship, the Mars rocket, into orbit from Texas, as long as it complies with all the 75 “mitigating actions”, federal regulators have said. Only if SpaceX complies, “the rocket launches should clear federal standards for environmental impact”.

This list of 75 actions includes enlisting a qualified biologist to monitor the impact of the launch on local wildlife, warning the public about loud sonic booms and possible dangers ahead of the launch, and agreeing to clean up shrapnel from the launch in sensitive habitats, etc. SpaceX will also have to agree to not do the launch on a major holiday or over any of the limited number of weekends so that the public can continue to have access to a nearby beach.

The key factor of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) announcement that determined SpaceX’s launch plans was that it did not or would not “significantly affect the quality of the human environment”. Thus, for FAA, a more thorough review that can “further hamstring the company’s plans” is no longer required.

While SpaceX has gotten the environmental review approval, that does not mean that FAA will give the company the launch license. The license will only come in after a safety and risk assessment, which is still under review.

SpaceX has been waiting for this decision for almost a year and the reviews have prevented it from putting Starship into orbit in a test flight that was expected to take off in July last year. FAA has been carrying out environmental assessments to review the impact of the launch of “such a massive rocket from a stretch of rural Texas coastline”. As CNN reports, “many local residents strongly opposed to the idea” along with some “fervent supporters who weren’t necessarily from the area”. While most people were in favour of the project, people “living in the vicinity of SpaceX’s South Texas launch site” were mostly against it.

SpaceX was expecting to get an “all-clear” by the end of 2021, but FAA delayed matters citing a high volume of comments submitted and the subsequent discussions and consultation efforts with consulting parties.

What happens if SpaceX does not get the all-clear for the South Texas launch?

If FAA does not give it a go-ahead, the company could move the Starship launch to Florida from where it already launches its Falcon 9 rockets. But SpaceX will still need FAA approval to move ahead with that plan and also, as per reports, NASA is “concerned about potential damage to infrastructure”.

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