FAA demands SpaceX to make environmental changes, Starship project in Texas

• The Federal Aviation Administration completed a long-awaited evaluation of SpaceX’s Starship rocket programme in Texas on Monday.
• The FAA stated in a press statement that SpaceX will be required to conduct more than 75 activities to reduce environmental risks before receiving a launch licence.
• SpaceX requires regulatory permission to undertake additional Starship flight testing and begin operational launches from its own facility.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will be required to make dozens of environmental changes in order to conduct additional Starship flight testing and begin operational launches from its Boca Chica, Texas site.

The FAA stated in a press statement that SpaceX will be required to conduct more than 75 activities to reduce environmental concerns before receiving a launch licence for the location. Among the mitigations are safeguards for water resources, noise limits, and biohazard material control, among others.

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Among the restrictions are that SpaceX works with a “certified biologist” on lighting checks to reduce the impact on sea turtles, run an employee shuttle between Brownsville and the plant, and does quarterly cleanups of the adjacent Boca Chica Beach.

The company will also help with local education and preservation efforts, such as writing a historical background study on the events of the Mexican War and Civil War that occurred in the area, as well as duplicating and putting missing decorations on a local historical marker. In addition, the corporation will make annual $5,000 contributions to groups that safeguard ocelots and endangered birds of prey, as well as a state recreational fishing programme.

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The FAA also announced new guidelines for closing the public highway that runs alongside SpaceX’s site, such as requiring it to be open on 18 selected holidays and most weekends.

According to the FAA, SpaceX has already made revisions to its Starbase facility expansion, including the removal of infrastructure designs for a desalination plant, natural gas pretreatment system, liquefier, and power plant.