Environmental and Cultural Organizations File Lawsuit Against SpaceX's Starship Program

Photo Source- Google.com

Environmental and cultural heritage organizations have sued the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) over the approval of SpaceX’s Starship launch program.

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The suit claimed that federal environmental laws were violated by the approval.

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Shortly after takeoff last month, SpaceX’s unscrewed rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.

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The lawsuit alleged that a comprehensive review of the potential environmental impact was not conducted by the FAA.

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The plaintiffs argued that the FAA’s finding of "no significant impact" last June broke "bedrock federal environmental law."

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The approval paved the way for multiple launches, resulting in the release of "intense heat, noise, and light" into a biologically diverse area.

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The area contains "essential habitat" for "many species", including some considered sacred to the Carizzo and Comecrudo indigenous peoples of South Texas.

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The lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in Washington, DC.

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The plaintiffs include the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Bird Conservancy, among others. The suit was filed less than two weeks after SpaceX’s rocket exploded, spreading debris over hundreds of acres and causing a fire and a cloud of pulverized concrete.

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The plaintiffs have said that at least eight explosions occurred at the Boca Chica, Texas, launch site over the last five years.

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