Chunks of debris, falling dust, and fire spread from SpaceX's Starship launch in April. Conservation groups say the launch never should have been allowed.
FAA didn’t require an in-depth Environmental Impact Statement
before approving SpaceX’s Starship plans. Instead, the agency granted Musk’s company the go-ahead, as long as SpaceX agreed to meet a list of environmental monitoring requirements—which conservation advocates told Gizmodo at the time “don’t have any teeth.”Now, the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, and three other Texas local non-profit groups have come together to sue the FAA—claiming violations of the National Environmental Policy and Administrative Procedure Acts.
The explosive Starship launch was widely reported on. However, as the legal complain points out, it is far from the only major, fiery event to occur at SpaceX’s Boca Chica site in recent years. In 2022, a SpaceX-caused fireof an adjacent National Wildlife Refuge. In total, at least eight explosions and fires have happened in the past five years, the suit claims. Then, there’s the everyday potential for environmental disruption from the increased vehicle traffic, sound, light, and pollution.
Gizmodo reached out to SpaceX and the FAA with questions. The federal agency responded only to say, “the FAA does not comment on ongoing litigation matters.” SpaceX did not reply by publication time.
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