Topline
A group of environmental and cultural heritage organizations sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, alleging its approval of billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch program violated federal environmental law, after SpaceX’s uncrewed rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico minutes after its takeoff late last month.
The SpaceX Starship exploded minutes after liftoff from the launchpad during a flight test from … [+]
Key Facts
Plaintiffs in the suit argue the FAA violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct a comprehensive review of potential environmental or community impacts from the launch program, or requiring the company to mitigate environmental issues.
The plaintiffs—including the Center for Biological Diversity and American Bird Conservancy—say the FAA’s approval of the launch and its finding of “no significant impact” last June broke with “bedrock federal environmental law.”
The approval paved the way for multiple launches resulting in the release of “intense heat, noise and light” into a biologically diverse area that contains “essential habitat” for “many species,” including some considered sacred to the Carizzo/Comecrudo indigenous people of South Texas, the suit argues.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington D.C., comes less than two weeks after SpaceX’s rocket exploded, spreading debris, including reinforced concrete and metal shrapnel, over hundreds of acres and causing a 3.5 acre fire and a cloud of pulverized concrete, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Forbes has reached out to SpaceX and the FAA for comment).
The plaintiffs said at least eight explosions have taken place at the Boca Chica, Texas, launch site over the last five years.
Key Background
SpaceX’s Starship, a rocket intended to one day take humans to the moon and Mars, exploded minutes after its lift-off above SpaceX’s so-called Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, late last month, after a first scheduled launch was called off due to a pressurization issue. SpaceX called the event a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” and labeled the mission—which failed to reach orbit—a success that will provide valuable information for future launches. The project itself is years in the works, and is part of NASA’s highly-anticipated Artemis missions to send people back to the moon and eventually to Mars. Musk announced Starship’s launch in March pending the approval of the FAA, which signed off last month.
Big Number
$10 million. That’s how much Musk estimated last year the aerospace company’s Starship rocket launches will cost over a two- to three-year period. The rocket is the most powerful ever built, capable of 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, with as much as 3,700 metric tons of liquid methane used for propulsion
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk’s net worth at $172.7 billion, making him the world’s second richest person. The billionaire head of SpaceX, electric automaker Tesla and social media giant Twitter’s net worth has slipped in recent months, following pessimistic predictions from Tesla’s investors and as Twitter loses advertisers over a series of controversial decisions over Musk’s six months as owner.
Further Reading
SpaceX Starship Explodes After Launch (Forbes)
SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Scrapped After Pressurization Issue (Forbes)
FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion (NBC News)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/05/01/faa-sued-over-spacex-starship-explosion/