Texas Leaders Pressuring FAA to Approve SpaceX’s Boca Chica Site for Super Heavy/Starship Launches
by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
Elon Musk’s recent update on the progress of SpaceX’s Super Heavy/Starship launch system didn’t provide much in the way of technical news. However, the billionaire’s presentation did seem to have had its intended political effect.
Musk was clear that if the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t come through with an approval to conduct launches from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX will move operations to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Sergio Tito Lopez, chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) that runs the city’s port, told the Rio Grande Guardian last week that he had been in communications with the region’s two Congressmen, Reps. Filemon Vela and Vicente Gonzalez, about how to pressure the FAA to grant environmental approval for the Boca Chica site so SpaceX doesn’t up and leave.
“We hope that does not happen,” Lopez said, when asked if he was concerned that SpaceX’s rocket testing site could be moved from Boca Chica to Florida.
“He (Musk) has come and he has invested a lot of money into our community. We are thankful for that. Of course, we are not the FAA. We do not make those decisions.”
Asked if the BND Board of commissioners had made its position known to Reps. Vela and Gonzalez, Lopez said: “Actually, right now, we are in talks with both of them. We want them to help. It is a huge economic impact, having SpaceX here. It makes the Rio Grande Valley and in this case Brownsville more lucrative. It gives global attention to our city, which is something we have needed for a long, long, time.”
A reporter put it to Lopez that the City of Brownsville is hoping to attract thousands of tourists once SpaceX starts sending rockets to the Moon and Mars.
“It would be a tremendous loss if we lose that,” Lopez said.
The FAA is expected to issue a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) on the plan on March 28. The agency has twice delayed release of the document, which was to have completed by the end of December. FAA said it needed more time to respond to more than 19,000 public comments it received after public hearings last year. It’s possible the release could be delayed again.
A PEA that includes a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) would allow the project to go forward. Another possibility is that the FAA will order a much more rigorous environmental impact statement (EIS), which could take years to complete. Musk has said SpaceX will move operations to Florida if an EIS is ordered.
Opponents say the site is not appropriate for launches of the world’s most powerful rocket. Starbase is surrounded by coastal wetlands and a wildlife refuge that provide habitats for endangered and threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service have raised serious questions about whether a FONSI can be issued for the site.
Critics have questioned the FAA’s decision to conduct an environmental assessment of the site for Super Heavy/Starship launches. They say the agency should have conducted a full EIS instead.
The FAA did an EIS prior to approving the Boca Chica site in 2014. However, that statement was based on SpaceX’s plan to launch up to 12 smaller Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy launches annually.
SpaceX subsequently abandoned its plans to launch Falcon rockets from Boca Chica. The company instead used the site to conduct short hops of its Starship prototype. It now wants to launch the much larger Super Heavy/Starship system, a move that led the FAA to decide that an environmental assessment was required.
21 responses to “Texas Leaders Pressuring FAA to Approve SpaceX’s Boca Chica Site for Super Heavy/Starship Launches”
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Not surprised given how very important this is to the local economy as it is the first real hope the folks there have had for a better future since NAFTA. But I expect that the environmentalists, with out the vast legal resources and political support they have outside the valley, will probably force an EIS. I expect that if that happens Elon Musk will probably move on to doing an EIS for an FAA license for offshore launch and use the new port road shortcut to support it from Starbase. Meanwhile, he will probably transfer assets, and possibly workers, to the Cape to minimize the time to Elon Musk starts test flying the Starship and Super Heavy.
Oddly, the environmental groups that seem to be fighting this, are similar in nature to the ones in Germany: some appear to be new, and others are local, but they are being funded by unknown groups.
This is why we need to know funding for various groups, since I would guess that much of this is from outside. Like maybe halfway around the world type outside.
“unknown groups”
Blue Origin?
ULA?
or Roscosmos?
They need to get Texas’s senators involved. Those are the guys who can wield the budget club to bring troublesome departments into line.
They (Senators) along with the current Governor are useless on any important matters.
The enormous scale of SpaceX plans should require a full EIS. SpaceX senior management is wholly responsible for not anticipating this and all the accompanying delays.
Kind of agree. However, SpaceX’s senior management is also wholly responsible for there being a giant reusable spaceship (that will be able to land humans on the Moon and Mars) being around to be be delayed in the first place. It’s not like they’re just a bunch of screw ups, even if they may have made a mistake (may have – this review is not a done deal yet).
If an entire new EIS is required, it’ll be an expensive and time consuming bump in the road, but ultimately just a large speed bump, not an impenetrable barrier to getting Starship/Super Heavy flying. Alternative plans are already in motion.
But yeah, that switching from a few Falcon Heavy operational launches a year to a much bigger Starship/SH development and somewhat airline operations-like spaceport might affect the applicability of their original EIS should have been anticipated and better accounted for, for sure
First off, you need to be honest. You have disliked SX and Tesla all because of musk. IOW, you are very biased against SX.
Secondly, there were only a few areas in America that SX could do this at. This is probably one of the better spots. When it comes to the development of engines, aeronautical software, graphite fabrication, etc, I will take California ANYDAY over Texas. BUT, what is being developed in Texas is welding of various metal parts. Texas is far more loaded with ppl from oil-rig experience, which includes lots of welding.
Third, the several groups fighting this have odd funding. It is unknown where the $ are coming from, but they appear to be coming.
The obvious answer is usually correct. The funding is coming from Boeing.
It is a possibility.
It is also very possibly coming from Russia or China.
BOTH have a HUGE amount to lose if Starship works the way that Elon claims.
China will just clone it and have their own – in 10 or 15 years. (By then SpaceX will have replaced Starship with something bigger…)
Russia…yeah, maybe. Elon’s worried they won’t stop with funding lobbyists. As am I.
They went past lobbyists long ago.
Says right in the article that if FAA requires an EIS they will just move operations to the Cape where theyre already approved for launches. The only thing requiring an EIS will do is set back space travel another 8 months to year and make Texas lose a huge amount of income
Nope.
As an environmentalist, I say more than enough was done on this.
For building homes, business buildings, etc. it makes sense to require an EIS.
When it comes to launching rockets, there are VERY LIMITED areas that this can be done in. This is one of them. And even the issue here is relatively minor.
So, no.
The FAA licensed Camden County, GA. The Green Left didn’t like that one either. I’m not worried about Starbase. The delays thus far have been of no real consequence as problems with the GSE have yet to be rectified to the point of physically enabling even static fires, never mind launches. With a bit of luck perhaps both sources of delay will end at about the same time.
Of course. I have no doubt the protests and adverse comments are funded by the Chinese Communist Party and the Russian government.
Actually, I have my suspicions on just that.
It’s a consortium of Blue Origin, ULA, and Roscosmos
I am sure the Illuminati, the Knights Templars, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Hunter Biden, and the Brotherhood if Evil are also involved.
Think about it. Elon Musk. That’s 4+4 which equals 8. Elon works 8 days a week where normal humans only work 7. This is a direct threat to the New World Order!
It all makes sense now..???
lets hope that they put a LOT more pressure on them.
We NEED to have SX fly.
“coastal wetlands and a wildlife refuge” Who cares…useless organizations. You can’t with one hand be like we care about endangered species and then with the other permit all these oil companies annihilating the environment with constant poor infrastructure and spills. Not to mention all the pesticides pumped by the millions of gallons into our water. Bureaucracies, clearly being paid off by someone, picking the dumbest battles.