The Federal Aviation Administration needs more time to complete an environmental review of SpaceX Starship orbital launches from its Boca Chica, Texas, site.
The FAA in September opened public comment on a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA)—required before deciding whether to issue SpaceX a launch license or experimental permit for its Starship/Super Heavy vehicle.
But the agency, which received more than 18,000 public comments on the draft report, this week extended its original Dec. 31 deadline, citing a "high volume" of comments, discussions, and consultation efforts. "The FAA now plans to release the final PEA on Feb. 28, 2022," it revealed. SpaceX, under FAA supervision, is working to respond to the thousands of comments.
A pair of virtual public hearings in October generated a mixed bag of feedback, according to SpaceNews. Many advocated for the proposed launch site, calling it "critical to the nation's future in space," the blog reported; others pointed out the economic benefits of SpaceX calling the Texas ZIP code home.
Opponents, however, argued that the draft PEA underestimates massive environmental impacts, including the already-dwindling number of nearby nests belonging to threatened piping plover birds. Launch pad critics went so far as to ask that, before granting any SpaceX license, the FAA develops an environmental impact statement (EIS)—which could take months or even years, stalling the aerospace company's plans.
Starship and Super Heavy "represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond," as per the SpaceX website, which touts Starship as "the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed." In May, the firm successfully completed its fifth high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from Starbase in Texas.