South Texas organizations sue SpaceX over environmental damage — again

Environmental groups last week filed a legal complaint in federal court alleging that U.S. regulators failed to scrutinize the environmental impact of Space X’s failed South Texas rocket launches earlier this year.

The Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas and others allege in a supplemental petition that the Federal Aviation Administration and others failed to analyze the environmental damage caused by SpaceX’s disastrous launch in April ahead of the company’s Nov. 18 followup launch. The petition was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The groups first sued the FAA in May in the wake of SpaceX’s failed first attempt at launching a Starship rocket. That launch ended with the craft exploding in flight and littering Brownsville and the surrounding area with debris.

Last week’s supplemental complaint, which also names SpaceX as a defendant, argues that regulators failed to complete due diligence before approving the company’s second Starship launch on Nov. 18. That launch also ended with the rocket exploding over South Texas.

“Failing to do an in-depth environmental review and letting SpaceX keep launching the world’s largest rockets that repeatedly explode shows a shocking disregard for wildlife and communities,” Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement to SpaceNews about the new complaint. “SpaceX should not be given free rein to use this amazing area as a sacrifice zone.”

Word of the supplemental complaint comes as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said his company is planning a third Starship launch by year’s end. However, Kathy Lueders — general manager of SpaceX’s Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica — told reporters last week that a third launch is more likely to occur in 2024.

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This article appears in Dec 13-26, 2023.