Starbase Launch/Testing Site

Starbase Launch/Testing Site
Starbase Launch Site during B14's catch on Flight 7
Status	Orbital Pad A Operational, Orbital Pad B Under Constuction
Location	Boca Chica, TX
Specifications
Facility type	Rocket launch facility
Current Usage	Launch and landing of Starship
Infrastructure
See also	Sibling launch site at Cape Canaveral: Launch Complex 39A, SLC-37

Starbase Launch/Testing Site is an area at Starbase, Boca Chica, TX where SpaceX launches Starships. This area has been subject to numerous plan changes and is undergoing constant development. Currently the first Orbital Launch Tower (OLIT-1) is fully operational, and a second tower (OLIT-3) is under construction at the place where the Suborbital Launch Site (SoLS) used to be. At the SoLS, SpaceX used to launch ships on their suborbital test profile as well as conducting booster and ship cryogenic and static fire tests. Those test are relocated to Massey's test site except for booster static fire tests which are conducted on the OLM.

The launch site currently consists of the Tank Farm, one completed Orbital Launch and Integration Tower, (OLIT-1) together with its launch mount "Pad A", another one under construction (OLIT-3 with "Pad B"), the wall between tank farm and Pad A, the power and communications building and a staging area for Pad B components to the west.

As of 2024, SpaceX is allowed to launch 5 times per year. However, they're conducting an Environmental Assessment on a potential increase of the launch cadence up to 25 launches annually.

OLIT-3 stacked as of 21 August 2024. c SpaceX

History of plans

A main source for the development is the environmental impact statement and its amendments, published on the FAA site.

May 2014 - FEIS

The final environmental impact statement from May 2014 is a four volume assessment prepared by the FAA for the SpaceX Texas launch sites environmental impact.

It was planned to use this site "to conduct launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch vehicles and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles" (Volume I, p. 75). In chapter 2.1.2 construction activities are outlined:

Vertical Launch area

Exhibit 2.1-3. Proposed Vertical Launch Area Site Layout

Proposed facility and infrastructure construction at the vertical launch area would include the following:

• Integration and Processing Hangar (Hangar)
• Launch pad and stand with its associated flame duct
• Water tower
• Lightning protection towers (four total)
• Retention basin for deluge water
• Propellant storage and handling areas
• Workshop and office area
• Warehouse for parts storage
• Roads, parking areas, fencing, security, lighting, and utilities

November 2014 - Re-evaluation

No changes.

Figure 10. Proposed Security Fence at the Vertical Launch Area

October 2017 - Re-evaluation

At the vertical launch area (VLA), SpaceX proposed adding a 1400 feet security fence and approximately 800 feet of associated security road adjacent to the fence.

May 2019 - Re-evaluation

As SpaceX now has now specified its Starship testing program, several major changes are being proposed. These include:

• Specification of the experimental test program, including starship and phases [to be described in the main article, linked here]
• New commodities for the "Control center area" for phase one and two of the program
• New commodities for the vertical launch area (VLA, test site) for phase one and two of the program

04 March 2021 - Proposal to Modification

SpaceX proposed to modify the existing permit for the continued development of the SpaceX vertical launch area with the expansion and addition of test, orbital, and landing pads, integration towers, associated infrastructure, stormwater management features and vehicle parking.  The proposed expansion will impact 10.94 acres of mud flats, 5.94 acres of estuarine wetlands, and 0.28 acres of non-tidal wetlands.

07 March 2022 - Expansion plan withdrwal

US Army corps of engineers: Boca Chica site expansion plan application from 2021 has been withdrawn due to lack of documentation from SpaceX.

13 June 2022 - Mitigated FONSI on environmental assessment

The FAA published the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (Final PEA) and Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (Mitigated FONSI/ROD) for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas (PEA) on June 13, 2022.

• Executive Summary
• Mitigated FONSI
• Final PEA

Plans for a desalination plant, natural gas pretreatment system, liquefier and power plant have been removed:

• Desalination plant has been removed as it would be needed to facilitate deluge for the Launch Site. SpaceX has not determined whether to use deluge, but in the event it will, the water will be trucked.
• Natural gas pretreatment system and liquefier were removed because of the advantages in Raptor 2, allowing the engine to use commercial liquid natural gas.
• Power plant has been removed as it would be needed only for natural gas pretreatment system and liquefier.

General information:

• SpaceX still proposes 500 hours of annual road closures for testing & launch operations, with 300 additional hours annually for possible wreckage cleanup after a failure.
• Around 400 tanker trucks would be required for an orbital launch.
• SpaceX is still considering landing on the islands in Pacific Ocean if their downrange landing capabilities increase.
• SpaceX is proposing up to 5 orbital launches and 5 Ship suborbital launches annually.

List of mitigations (Summary):

• Air Quality:
  • Periodic water spraying to minimize amount of dust.
  • Watering of soils to be disturbed.
  • Minimal idling of engines.
  • Use of low volatility coatings.
• Climate: NONE
• Noise:
  • Announce the time of upcoming launch & landing operations.
  • Overall impact of sonic booms should not be significant.
  • SpaceX needs to carry in the amount of the ,,Maximum Probable Loss” which was determined to be up to $500 million per launch.
• Visual effects:
  • Exterior lights are limited to minimal number required to reach their goals
  • Minimize the visibility from the beach with directing, shielding, positioning, minimizing the light spread, uplighting and turning lighting off if not needed.
  • Issue annual notices reminding of lighting restrictions to personnel prior to turtle nesting season.
  • Monitoring the lighting at the Launch Site to verify SpaceX’s compliance with the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site Lighting Management
  • Lighting inspections with a qualified biologist to remove unnecessary lights prior to the turtle nesting/hatching season, and conduct weekly inspections during the turtle nesting/hatching season (March 15th - October 1st).
• Cultural Resources:
  • Installing utility lines underground to limit visibility from historical places.
  • Prepare historical reports of the Mexican War and Civil War.
  • Fund educational outreach, 5 signs describing historical events in the area.
  • Implement measures to limit sounds from trucks, conduct vibration monitoring program.
  • In case of an anomaly, hire a qualified specialist to make recommendations for restoration of historical markers.
• Department of Transportation Act, Section 4(f):
  • Cleanup of the wreckage from anomalies, restore the land and roads
  • Notify about access restrictions (road closures) 1-2 weeks in advance (2 days as plans finalize).
  • Road closures are not possible on most of the public holidays and on weekends if Monday/Friday are part of it.
  • Only five possible closures on weekends annually, with every counted as used if not cancelled a day prior to a closure.

15 November 2023 - Written reevaluation and info on upgrades

On 15 November 2023, the fish and wildlife service completed the written re-evaluation, thus enabling the FAA to grant the launch license for IFT-2. This follows several inspections on ground, such as on 19 October, 25 October and 2 Novmeber 2023 when FWS teams inspected the deluge discharge zone and nearby wetlands. See also ->Starship Flight Test 2#26 October 2023 - FWS Statement for the announcement. Main points are:

• The deluge tanks have a capacity of 358,000 gallons
• Launches are expected to use only 132,000 gallons maximum, so it is possible the system could be used twice.
• Static Fires will use approximately 72,000 gallons.
• SpaceX will be able to use the deluge up to 30 times a year under this WR.
• The nitrogen purge to activate the deluge operates at 3000 psi.
• A launch is expected to ablate up to 190 pounds of steel from the plate.
• 92% of the deluge water is expected to be vaporized.
• SpaceX is expected to add up to 30,000 gallons of additional retention pond storage.
• Retention pond water can be reused if it passes environmental testing, otherwise the pond water must be shipped out for waste.
• The WR finds no significant environmental impacts are expected to wildlife or vegetation at this time and no mitigations are required by SpaceX at this time.
• As always the FWS can come back and request a new WR and changes if impacts beyond expectations are found.

22 February 2024 - Corps of Engineers

SpaceX reinitiated a permit application on 12 February 2024 with modified project plans requesting to fill a 0.16-acre wetland. SpaceX reinitiated the permit application on 12 February 2024 with modified project plans requesting to fill a 0.16-acre wetland to construct a second orbital launchpad which will replace the current suborbital launch pad and test stand. The remaining special aquatic sites proposed in the 2021 public notice will be avoided. The permit modification will increase the total acreage of impact from 5.14 to 5.3 acres. Thus, SpaceX has modified the project plans included in the 4 March 2022 public notice to reduce the proposed acreage from 17.16 acres to 0.16 acres.

EA to increase the launch cadence - Updates and Lawsuit on polluting water

12 July 2024 - Draft EA: public meetings scheduled

The FAA Will hold public meetings on a proposal by SpaceX to increased the number of launches and landings in Boca Chica, up to 25 annual Starship/Superheavy launches, up to 25 annual landings of Starship, up to 25 annual landings of Super Heavy; it will also address vehicle upgrades. In late July, the FAA will release additional information about the Draft Environmental Assessment.

29 July 2024 - Draft Tiered EA

The FAA announced the availability of the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for the increased launch cadence at Boca Chica site [here]. This includes up to 25 annual launches as well as 25 landings for ship and booster respectively. The EA also addresses vehicle upgrades.

12 August 2024 - Draft EA: meetings cancelled

The FAA cancelled the in-person pubilc and virtual meeting on the draft EA and extended the public comment period for the draft EA which was due on August 29. The meetings were scheduled for August 13, 15 and 20. Marcia Smith, CNBC, asked the FAA for the reason, their reply was: "The FAA is seeking additional information from SpaceX before rescheduling public meetings."

12 August 2024 - CNBC story (as updated on 13 August)

Key Points

• Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated environmental regulations in releasing pollutants into or nearby bodies of water in Texas, a state environmental agency said in a notice last week.
• The report from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) came five months after the Environmental Protection Agency also notified SpaceX that it had violated the Clean Water Act.
• The violations could threaten SpaceX’s ambitions to increase Startship launches from its Starbase facility in South Texas.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated environmental regulations by repeatedly releasing pollutants into or near bodies of water in Texas, a state agency said in a notice of violation focused on the company’s water deluge system at its Starbase launch facility.

The notice from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) last week came five months after the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 office, which covers Texas and surrounding states, had also informed SpaceX that it violated the Clean Water Act with the same type of activity.

The notices and related investigative records, obtained by CNBC, have not been previously reported.

TCEQ said its agency’s office in the South Texas city of Harlingen, near Starbase in Boca Chica, received a complaint on Aug. 6, 2023, alleging that SpaceX “was discharging deluge water without TCEQ authorization.”

“In total, the Harlingen region received 14 complaints alleging environmental impacts from the Facility’s deluge system,” the regulator said in the document.

Aerospace companies, including SpaceX, generally need to be in compliance with state and federal laws to gain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for future launches. SpaceX was seeking permission to conduct up to 25 annual launches and landings of its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket at its Boca Chica facility. Notices of violation could delay those approvals and result in civil monetary penalties for SpaceX, further probes and criminal charges.

In a lengthy post on X, following publication of this story, SpaceX said regulators have told the company that it can continue with launch operations despite the violation notices.

“Throughout our ongoing coordination with both TCEQ and the EPA, we have explicitly asked if operation of the deluge system needed to stop and we were informed that operations could continue,” SpaceX wrote on X.

Neither regulator answered CNBC’s questions regarding SpaceX’s statement.

A rush to rebuild

On July 25, 2024, an environmental investigator with TCEQ “conducted an in-house compliance record review” to determine SpaceX’s compliance with wastewater regulations. The investigation found that SpaceX discharged industrial wastewater without a permit four times between March and July of this year.

Water deluge systems with flame deflectors diffuse heat, sound and energy generated by orbital test flights and rocket launches. But SpaceX didn’t build that system into its launch site at Boca Chica before it began test flights of the largest rocket ever, Starship.

SpaceX is developing Starship to transport people and equipment to the moon and, if Musk eventually realizes his grand vision, to colonize Mars. In its first test flight of Starship in April 2023, energy from the rocket caused SpaceX’s concrete launchpad to explode, and its spacecraft also blew up in mid-air.

Chunks of concrete were hurled into a nesting and migration site important to some endangered species nearby and a 3.5-acre fire chewed through Boca Chica State Park Land south of the launchpad. In response, environmental groups filed a lawsuit against SpaceX and the FAA, which had authorized its launches.

With Musk pushing for another orbital test flight within one to two months, SpaceX rushed to rebuild the launchpad installing a new water deluge system to keep it from exploding again. The company bypassed a permitting process, according to the regulators, which would have required it to meet pollutant discharge limits, and say how it would treat its wastewater.

SpaceX ran its first full-pressure test of the water deluge system in July 2023. About a month later, on Aug. 25, 2023, the EPA initiated a probe and requested information from the company regarding its wastewater discharges and more.

The agency issued a formal notice of violation to SpaceX on March 13, according to records obtained by CNBC.

On March 14, despite receiving the EPA notice a day earlier, SpaceX pressed ahead with its third test flight of Starship, again using its unauthorized water deluge system at the launch site.

The company hit new milestones with the test flight and Musk appeared triumphant. NASA chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on “a successful test flight!” although the rocket was lost during its descent above the Indian Ocean.

Environmental engineer Eric Roesch, whose ESG Hound blog focuses on business and sustainability, predicted SpaceX would need a water deluge system at the launchpad even before the first test flight of Starship. He was also among the first to call out SpaceX for using such a system without proper permits.

Once the agencies had informed SpaceX it was in violation of environmental regulations, continuing with launch operations at Starbase put the company at greater legal risk, Roesch said in an interview.

“Further wastewater discharges could trigger more investigations and criminal charges for the company or any of the people involved in authorizing the launches,” he said.

Years of violations

Roesch also pointed out that after receiving a notice of violation from the EPA, SpaceX was required to apply for a permit within 30 days. The company didn’t submit its application until July 1, about 110 days later, according to a copy of its application made available through the TCEQ’s public records office.

“They’ve been violating wastewater regulations for years, and they continue to do so seemingly with the FAA’s blessing,” Roesch said.

In its statement on Monday, SpaceX wrote that the deluge system “causes no harm to the environment.” The company said other permits obtained by SpaceX serve as authorization for its use.

Kenneth Teague, a coastal ecologist based outside of Austin, evaluated the 483-page SpaceX permit application. Teague, who has more than three decades of water quality and coastal planning experience, told CNBC the application was full of holes, missing basic details about water discharge volumes, the temperature of the effluent and outfall locations.

Teague said he’s especially concerned about the concentration of mercury in the wastewater from the SpaceX water deluge system. The levels disclosed in the document represent “very large exceedances of the mercury water quality criteria,” Teague said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, mercury is “one of the most serious contaminants threatening our nation’s waters because it is a potent neurological poison in fish, wildlife, and humans.”

Teague said high temperature discharges, and pollutants like mercury in high concentrations, could cause “significant negative impacts,” like killing off the “little critters” that make up seabirds’ diet.

“The SpaceX application fails to address this very serious concern,” he said.

SpaceX said in its response on X that there were “no detectable levels of mercury” found in its samples. But SpaceX wrote in its July permit application — under the header Specific Testing Requirements - Table 2 for Outfall: 001 — that its mercury concentration at one outfall location was 113 micrograms per liter. Water quality criteria in the state calls for levels no higher than 2.1 micrograms per liter for acute aquatic toxicity and much lower levels for human health

In another post on X that followed publication of this story, SpaceX said on Tuesday, “there may be a typo in one table” of the application that was submitted to TCEQ and made public. The company said its application is being updated to correct the typo pertaining to mercury levels.

A spokesperson for TCEQ told CNBC in an email on Tuesday afternoon that there’s a “pending enforcement action” on the matter and that the agency “cannot comment any further at this time.”

CNBC reached out to the FAA on Friday. The agency didn’t provide a comment for this story but announced on Monday that it’s postponing public meetings that had been planned for this week. The meetings were for an environmental assessment for “SpaceX’s plan to increase the launches and landings of its Starship/Super Heavy vehicles scheduled at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas.”

The FAA didn’t provide a reason for the postponements and said new dates will be announced in the future.

12 August 2024 - SpaceX Reply

CNBC’s story on Starship’s launch operations in South Texas is factually inaccurate.

Starship’s water-cooled flame deflector system is critical equipment for SpaceX’s launch operations. It ensures flight safety and protects the launch site and surrounding area. Also known as the deluge system, it applies clean, potable (drinking) water to the engine exhaust during static fire tests and launches to absorb the heat and vibration from the rocket engines firing. Similar equipment has long been used at launch sites across the United States – such as Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations in Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California – and across the globe.

SpaceX worked with the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) throughout the build and test of the water deluge system at Starbase to identify a permit approach. TCEQ personnel were onsite at Starbase to observe the initial tests of the system in July 2023, and TCEQ’s website shows that SpaceX is covered by the Texas Multi-Sector General Permit. When the EPA issued their Administrative Order in March 2024, it was done without an understanding of basic facts of the deluge system’s operation or acknowledgement that we were operating under the Texas Multi-Sector General Permit.

After we explained our operation to the EPA, they revised their position and allowed us to continue operating, but required us to obtain an Individual Permit from TCEQ, which will also allow us to expand deluge operations to the second pad. We’ve been diligently working on the permit with TCEQ, which was submitted on July 1st, 2024. TCEQ is expected to issue the draft Individual Permit and Agreed Compliance Order this week.

Throughout our ongoing coordination with both TCEQ and the EPA, we have explicitly asked if operation of the deluge system needed to stop and we were informed that operations could continue. TCEQ and the EPA have allowed continued operations because the deluge system has always complied with common conditions set by an Individual Permit, and causes no harm to the environment. Specifically:

- We only use potable (drinking) water in the system’s operation. At no time during the operation of the deluge system is the potable water used in an industrial process, nor is the water exposed to industrial processes before or during operation of the system.

- The launch pad area is power-washed prior to activating the deluge system, with the power-washed water collected and hauled off.

- The vast majority of the water used in each operation is vaporized by the rocket’s engines.

- We send samples of the soil, air, and water around the pad to an independent, accredited laboratory after every use of the deluge system, which have consistently shown negligible traces of any contaminants. Importantly, while CNBC's story claims there are “very large exceedances of the mercury” as part of the wastewater discharged at the site, all samples to-date have in fact shown either no detectable levels of mercury whatsoever or found in very few cases levels significantly below the limit the EPA maintains for drinking water.

- Retention ponds capture excess water and are specially lined to prevent any mixing with local groundwater. Any water captured in these ponds, including water from rainfall events, is pumped out and hauled off.

- Finally, some water does leave the area of the pad, mostly from water released prior to ignition and after engine shutdown or launch. To give you an idea of how much: a single use of the deluge system results in potable water equivalent to a rainfall of 0.004 inches across the area outside the pad which currently averages around 27 inches of rain per year.

With Starship, we’re revolutionizing humanity’s ability to access space with a fully reusable rocket that plays an integral role in multiple national priorities, including returning humans to the surface of the Moon. SpaceX and its thousands of employees work tirelessly to ensure the United States remains the world’s leader in space, and we remain committed to working with our local and federal partners to be good stewards of the environment.

13 August 2024 - SpaceX Reply on CNBC update

CNBC updated its story yesterday with additional factually inaccurate information.

While there may be a typo in one table of the initial TCEQ's public version of the permit application, the rest of the application and the lab reports clearly states that levels of Mercury found in non-stormwater discharge associated with the water deluge system are well below state and federal water quality criteria (of no higher than 2.1 micrograms per liter for acute aquatic toxicity), and are, in most instances, non-detectable.

The initial application was updated within 30 days to correct the typo and TCEQ is updating the application to reflect the correction.

29 August 2024 - FAA Update

-Chris Bergin: "New communication from The FAA SpaceX Boca Chica Project Team. Basically, it's referencing the claims that SpaceX dismissed as inaccurate reporting from CNBC: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1823080774012481862 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of launches and landings of its Starship/Super Heavy Vehicle at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas on July 29, 2024. The FAA invited interested parties to submit comments on the Draft EA. The public comment period for the Draft EA closes on August 29, 2024. On August 9th, 2024, the FAA became aware of allegations that SpaceX violated the Clean Water Act at the Boca Chica Launch Site. The FAA was unable to confirm the accuracy of certain representations in SpaceX’s license application and the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment prior to the public meetings scheduled for August 13th, 15th, and 20th. As a result, the FAA chose to postpone the public meetings until these matters could be resolved. The FAA will release a Revised Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment (Revised Draft EA) in the future. The Revised Draft EA will be accompanied by an additional public comment period and public meetings. The dates, times, and locations of the rescheduled public meetings will be made publicly available at least 30 days in advance of the meetings. All comments received on the Draft EA between July 29 and August 29, 2024, as well as the forthcoming Revised Draft EA will be given equal weight and be taken into consideration."

-Stressed Potato: "Basically there is an allegation that SpaceX is lying about their numbers. The FAA is going to come in and double check those numbers to make sure no funny business is going on."

-Chris Bergin: "Yep. EA is going on for future Starbase ops. CNBC (not Michael Sheetz) ran an article citing a well-known anti-SpaceXer (well, anti-Elon) about the water [add: Eric Roesch, ESG Hound blog]. They ran with it. SpaceX went out and pointed out the inaccurate reporting in public. FAA saw the report and likely had to review per process. That delayed the public meetings they had scheduled."

30 August - TCEQ fine

-Eric Berger: "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has fined SpaceX $3,750 for an unauthorized discharge of "industrial wastewater" into surrounding wetlands. It is not yet clear what this means for FAA approval of an increased launch cadence from South Texas." [Eric Berger, citing sos.state.tx.us]

-Elon Musk: "Just to be clear, this silly fine was for spilling potable drinking water! Literally, you could drink it."

05 September 2024 - TCEQ draft permit

TCEQ issued draft permit to SpaceX for its application in regard to the deluge runoff.

10 September 2024 - SpaceX update about launch license postponement

SpaceX issued a lenghtly statement on their website announcing that the FAA pushed the issueing of a launch license for flight test 5 (IFT-5) to NET late November as the FAA needed more time to account for the allegations explained above. Their statement included a detailed account on their point of view on these allegations:

STARSHIPS ARE MEANT TO FLY

SpaceX was founded in 2002 to expand access to outer space. Not just for government or traditional satellite operators, but for new participants around the globe. Today, we’re flying at an unprecedented pace as the world’s most active launch services provider. SpaceX is safely and reliably launching astronauts, satellites, and other payloads on missions benefiting life on Earth and preparing humanity for our ultimate goal: to explore other planets in our solar system and beyond.

Starship is paramount to making that sci-fi future, along with a growing number of U.S. national priorities, a reality. It is the largest and most powerful space transportation system ever developed, and its fully and rapidly reusable design will exponentially increase humanity’s ability to access and utilize outer space. Full reusability has been an elusive goal throughout the history of spaceflight, piling innumerable technical challenges on what is already the most difficult engineering pursuit in human existence. It is rocket science, on ludicrous mode.

Every flight of Starship has made tremendous progress and accomplished increasingly difficult test objectives, making the entire system more capable and more reliable. Our approach of putting flight hardware in the flight environment as often as possible maximizes the pace at which we can learn recursively and operationalize the system. This is the same approach that unlocked reuse on our Falcon fleet of rockets and made SpaceX the leading launch provider in the world today.

To do this and do it rapidly enough to meet commitments to national priorities like NASA’s Artemis program, Starships need to fly. The more we fly safely, the faster we learn; the faster we learn, the sooner we realize full and rapid rocket reuse. Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware. This should never happen and directly threatens America’s position as the leader in space.

FLIGHT 5

The Starship and Super Heavy vehicles for Flight 5 have been ready to launch since the first week of August. The flight test will include our most ambitious objective yet: attempt to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch site and catch it in mid-air.

Returning the booster after launch is a core capability to Starship becoming rapidly and reliably reusable

This will be a singularly novel operation in the history of rocketry. SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success. Every test comes with risk, especially those seeking to do something for the first time. SpaceX goes to the maximum extent possible on every flight to ensure that while we are accepting risk to our own hardware, we accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring public safety.

It's understandable that such a unique operation would require additional time to analyze from a licensing perspective. Unfortunately, instead of focusing resources on critical safety analysis and collaborating on rational safeguards to protect both the public and the environment, the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd. At times, these roadblocks have been driven by false and misleading reporting, built on bad-faith hysterics from online detractors or special interest groups who have presented poorly constructed science as fact.

We recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA, the government agency responsible for licensing Starship flight tests. This is a more than two-month delay to the previously communicated date of mid-September. This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis. The four open environmental issues are illustrative of the difficulties launch companies face in the current regulatory environment for launch and reentry licensing.

STEEL AND WATER

Starship’s water-cooled steel flame deflector has been the target of false reporting, wrongly alleging that it pollutes the environment or has operated completely independent of regulation. This narrative omits fundamental facts that have either been ignored or intentionally misinterpreted.

At no time did SpaceX operate the deflector without a permit. SpaceX was operating in good faith under a Multi-Sector General Permit to cover deluge operations under the supervision of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). SpaceX worked closely with TCEQ to incorporate numerous mitigation measures prior to its use, including the installation of retention basins, construction of protective curbing, plugging of outfalls during operations, and use of only potable (drinking) water that does not come into contact with any industrial processes. A permit number was assigned and made active in July 2023. TCEQ officials were physically present at the first testing of the deluge system and given the opportunity to observe operations around launch.

The water-cooled steel flame deflector does not spray pollutants into the surrounding environment. Again, it uses literal drinking water. Outflow water has been sampled after every use of the system and consistently shows negligible traces of any contaminants, and specifically, that all levels have remained below standards for all state permits that would authorize discharge. TCEQ, the FAA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the use of the system prior to its initial use, and during tests and launch, and determined it would not cause environmental harm.

When the EPA issued its Administrative Order in March 2024, it was done before seeking a basic understanding of the facts of the water-cooled steel flame deflector’s operation or acknowledgement that we were operating under the Texas Multi-Sector General Permit. After meeting with the EPA—during which the EPA stated their intent was not to stop testing, preparation, or launch operations—it was decided that SpaceX should apply for an individual discharge permit. Despite our previous permitting, which was done in coordination with TCEQ, and our operation having little to nothing in common with industrial waste discharges covered by individual permits, we applied for an individual permit in July 2024.

The subsequent fines levied on SpaceX by TCEQ and the EPA are entirely tied to disagreements over paperwork. We chose to settle so that we can focus our energy on completing the missions and commitments that we have made to the U.S. government, commercial customers, and ourselves. Paying fines is extremely disappointing when we fundamentally disagree with the allegations, and we are supported by the fact that EPA has agreed that nothing about the operation of our flame deflector will need to change. Only the name of the permit has changed.

GOOD STEWARD

No launch site operates in a vacuum. As we have built up capacity to launch and developed new sites across the country, we have always been committed to public safety and mitigating impacts to the environment. At Starbase, we implement an extensive list of mitigations developed with federal and state agencies, many of which require year-round monitoring and frequent updates to regulators and consultation with independent biological experts. The list of measures we take just for operations in Texas is over two hundred items long, including constant monitoring and sampling of the short and long-term health of local flora and fauna. The narrative that we operate free of, or in defiance of, environmental regulation is demonstrably false.

Environmental regulations and mitigations serve a noble purpose, stemming from common-sense safeguards to enable progress while preventing undue impact to the environment. However, with the licensing process being drawn out for Flight 5, we find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and exasperating reasons.

On Starship’s fourth flight, the top of the Super Heavy booster, commonly known as the hot-stage, was jettisoned to splash down on its own in the Gulf of Mexico. The hot-stage plays an important part in protecting the booster during separation from Starship’s upper stage before detaching during the booster’s return flight. This operation was analyzed thoroughly ahead of Starship’s fourth flight, specifically focused on any potential impact to protected marine species. Given the distribution of marine animals in the specific landing area and comparatively small size of the hot-stage, the probability of a direct impact is essentially zero. This is something previously determined as standard practice by the FAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service for the launch industry at large, which disposes of rocket stages and other hardware in the ocean on every single launch, except of course, for our own Falcon rockets which land and are reused. The only proposed modification for Starship’s fifth flight is a marginal change in the splashdown location of the hot-stage which produces no increase in likelihood for impacting marine life. Despite this, the FAA leadership approved a 60-day consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Furthermore, the mechanics of these types of consultations outline that any new questions raised during that time can reset the 60-day counter, over and over again. This single issue, which was already exhaustively analyzed, could indefinitely delay launch without addressing any plausible impact to the environment.

Another unique aspect to Starship’s fifth flight and a future return and catch of the Super Heavy booster will be the audible sonic booms in the area around the return location. As we’ve previously noted, the general impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise. The FAA, in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, evaluated sonic booms from the landing of the Super Heavy and found no significant impacts to the environment. Although animals exposed to the sonic booms may be briefly startled, numerous prior studies have shown sonic booms of varying intensity have no detrimental effect on wildlife. Despite this documented evidence, the FAA leadership approved an additional 60-day consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife as a slightly larger area could experience a sonic boom.

Lastly, the area around Starbase is well known as being host to various protected birds. SpaceX already has extensive mitigations in place and has been conducting biological monitoring for birds near Starbase for nearly 10 years. The protocol for the monitoring was developed with U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, and is conducted by professional, qualified, independent biologists. To date, the monitoring has not shown any population-level impacts to monitored bird populations, despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary that the authors themselves later amended. Even though Starship’s fifth flight will take place outside of nesting season, SpaceX is still implementing additional mitigations and monitoring to minimize impacts to wildlife, including infrared drone surveillance pre- and post-launch to track nesting presence. We are also working with USFWS experts to assess deploying special protection measures prior to launches during bird nesting season.

SpaceX is committed to minimizing impact and enhancing the surrounding environment where possible. One of our proudest partnerships in South Texas is with Sea Turtle Inc, a local nonprofit dedicated to sea turtle conservation. SpaceX assists with finding and transporting injured sea turtles to their facilities for treatment. SpaceX has also officially adopted Boca Chica Beach through the Texas General Lands Office Adopt a Beach Program, with the responsibility of picking up litter and promoting a litter-free environment. SpaceX sponsors and participates in quarterly beach cleanups as well as quarterly State Highway 4 cleanups. SpaceX has removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the beach and State Highway 4 over the last several years. SpaceX also fosters environmental education at the local level by hosting school tours as well as an Annual Environmental Education Day with Texas Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Sea Turtle Inc.

TO FLY

Despite a small, but vocal, minority of detractors trying to game the regulatory system to obstruct and delay the development of Starship, SpaceX remains committed to the mission at hand. Our thousands of employees work tirelessly because they believe that unlimited opportunities and tangible benefits for life on Earth are within reach if humanity can fundamentally advance its ability to access space. This is why we’re committed to continually pushing the boundaries of spaceflight, with a relentless focus on safety and reliability.

Because life will be multiplanetary, and will be made possible by the farsighted strides we take today.

10 September 2024 - Save RGV Law Suit

The environmental Group Save RGV filed a suit against SpaceX on Wednesday alleging that the company discharged unpermitted effluent at its launch site at Boca Chica. SpaceX reacted with the following statement:

"The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) conducted a technical review of Starship’s water-cooled flame deflector, which uses potable (drinking) water and determined that its use does not pose risk to the environment, as we have detailed at great length here → http://spacex.com/updates/#starships-fly We have express permission from TCEQ to run the system now under the conditions of the consent order, and a closeout letter from the EPA on its administrative order. Save RGV acknowledged that they are aware of these straightforward facts and still filed an unwarranted and frivolous lawsuit."

20 November 2024

The FAA has rescheduled the public comment hearings for the new EIS to increase the launch cadence at Boca Chica to 25 launches a year: "The FAA is releasing a Revised Draft Environmental Assessment for public review and comment. The FAA will hold public meetings on @SpaceX's revised proposal to increase the number of launches and landings of Starship/Super Heavy in Boca Chica, TX."

03 January 2025

"The FAA has canceled the public meetings for Jan 9 for input to draft environmental assessment for Boca Chica because the govt now will be closed that day in honor of Jimmy Carter. Others mtgs remain on schedule." (Marcia Smith)