FAA Being Sued By Green Groups For Disastrous Starship Launch

Environmental groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in federal court over SpaceX’s launch of its Starship rocket last month.

Photo Insert: The lawsuit says the area around the launch is habitat to federally protected species, including the ocelot.

They argue that the agency failed to investigate the potential harm the launch – or a mishap – could do to the environment, Jackie Wattles and Ella Nilsen reported for CNN.

The rocket, the most powerful ever built, took off from a launch pad at SpaceX’s spaceport in South Texas on April 20 before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico four minutes into flight.

The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in Washington, DC, alleges that the FAA authorized the launch “without complying with bedrock federal environmental law, without fully analyzing the significant environmental and community impacts of the Space X launch program — including destruction of some of the most vital migratory bird habitat in North America — and without requiring mitigation sufficient to offset those impacts.”

The lawsuit says the area around the launch is habitat to federally protected species, including the ocelot.

“It’s vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight,” Center for Biological Diversity senior attorney Jared Margolis said in a statement.

Ahead of the launch on April 20, the FAA issued a finding that the launch would have no significant impact on its surrounding environment. Therefore, the agency didn’t proceed with a more in-depth environmental assessment, which would have taken more time.

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