The US Aerospace Agency (FAA) issued a five-year flight license to SpaceX in mid-April for this rocket, the largest in the world, that the company developed and tested in Boca Chica, in the far south of the state.
On April 20, Elon Musk launched the Starship for the first time, but the rocket encountered anomalies, forcing SpaceX to activate a self-destruct command, causing it to explode over the sea, about four minutes into flight. The launch pad itself was partially destroyed by the force of the machinery’s engines, sending debris and bits of concrete flying.
A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by several organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Bird Conservancy.
“The launch pad is next to habitats of protected species and migratory birds, such as Kemp’s tortoise or piping plover,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement, noting that the test “sprayed the surrounding areas with fine particles.”
The organization also cited noise and light pollution associated with the space base, as well as the outbreak of fires.
In granting the license, the FAA imposed a number of restrictions on SpaceX, including the evaluation of animals and plants by a biologist, both before and after liftoff. Any debris should be cleaned up.
But these measures are “not sufficient to prevent the aviation program from causing significant environmental damage,” the Center for Biological Diversity argued.
Contacted by AFP, the FAA said it did not comment on the ongoing lawsuit.
The April 20 test flight caused a fire in about 1.5 hectares in Boca Chica Provincial Park, south of the launch pad, according to the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service.).
“The take-off fallout includes numerous pieces of concrete, steel plates, metal and other objects thrown hundreds of meters, and a cloud of crushed concrete material” that reaches more than 10 kilometers northwest of the launch pad, federal services detailed.
They added in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse that no dead animal had been found on the land managed by these services.
