These environmental reviews are required because rocket launches and landings can be massively disruptive to local towns and residents, along with the natural surroundings. Exhaust, smoke plumes and sonic booms created at launch can injure and kill endangered species, and detritus from exploded rocket parts returning to Earth can harm fish and marine animals with hazardous material spills, fuel slicks and falling objects.
Trump's executive order appears to especially benefit Elon Musk and his company SpaceX. SpaceX has been seeking to increase its rocket-ship launches and landings around the country. The company has been involved in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups for violating the National Environmental Policy Act; they say the FAA did not do a thorough enough environmental assessment of SpaceX's impact to endangered species regarding its rocket launches in Boca Chica, Texas.
The lawsuit looked at the first launch of SpaceX's massive Starship rocket in Texas in April 2023. The spaceship, which is designed to one day make it to Mars, pulverized its launchpad on takeoff, sending chunks of concrete flying 6 miles (10km) away. The blast ignited a grassfire that burned nearly 4 acres (1.5 hectares) of state park and, from what is known, destroyed a nest of bobwhite quail eggs and a collection of blue land crabs...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/13/trump-order-rocket-launches-musk-bezos
No comments:
Post a Comment