365NEWSX
365NEWSX
Subscribe

Welcome

The FAA releases initial report on Boca Chica launches, and it’s not terrible - Ars Technica

The FAA releases initial report on Boca Chica launches, and it’s not terrible - Ars Technica

The FAA releases initial report on Boca Chica launches, and it’s not terrible - Ars Technica
Sep 17, 2021 1 min, 13 secs

The Federal Aviation Administration released a draft environmental review of SpaceX's plans for orbital launches from South Texas on Friday, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.

The long-awaited procedural step is the first of several regulatory hurdles that SpaceX must clear before obtaining final permission to launch its Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from a site near Boca Chica, Texas.

Such a launch likely remains months away, but it now appears that the feds will ultimately greenlight South Texas for orbital launches.

The document, formally called a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment, evaluates the potential environmental impacts of SpaceX’s Starship program, including launch and reentry.

This may be one reason why SpaceX is proposing an average of five Super Heavy launches per year during the operational phase of the program.

If a full Environmental Impact Statement is needed, launches from South Texas would likely be delayed by months, if not years, as more paperwork is completed.

SpaceX has not revealed the full extent of its launch plans for Super Heavy and Starship, but the document suggests the company may eventually land its Super Heavy booster down range on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and Starship may land in remote islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The upside of Friday's document release is that SpaceX can now move forward with some confidence that it ultimately will at least be able to conduct orbital test flights of Super Heavy and Starship from South Texas.

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED