On Monday, environmental groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it allowed SpaceX to launch its Starship rocket.
SpaceX Starship was the largest and most powerful rocket to be flown when it was launched last month. It severely damaged the launchpad and later exploded. “The launch pad was destroyed, scattering debris and ashes over a large area, including adjacent lands that provide habitat for endangered species,” reads the complaint filed by the environmental groups.
According to the plaintiffs, the agency relied on a programmatic environmental assessment conducted by SpaceX that was inadequate: The proposed mitigation measures do not prevent the launch program from committing environmental harm. The agency also did not consider alternative solutions, like authorizing fewer launches per year, said the plaintiffs, referring to future launches SpaceX has planned.
“FAA failed to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of the SpaceX launch program, as NEPA requires, including increased light, heat, and environmental pollution, as well as risk of wildfires, damage to critical habitat, and the launch program’s contribution to climate change,” reads the complaint.
The plaintiffs are seeking to force the FAA to revoke the launch license it issued to SpaceX and require a more thorough environmental impact statement.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained that he did not think there was meaningful fallout from the launch. “To the best of our knowledge there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of,” he said, as quoted by NBC.
The launchpad being damaged was not anticipated by Musk. “One of the more plausible explanations is that…we may have compressed the sand underneath the concrete to such a degree that the concrete effectively bent and then cracked,” Musk said.
A report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the launch flung concrete and metal thousands of feet away and created a cloud of dust and pulverized concrete that descended as far as 6.5 miles from the launchpad.
A priority for the next launch will be to start the engines and get off the launchpad faster. SpaceX will put steel plates cooled by a water system underneath the launch tower for the next Starship rocket.