Environmental groups file lawsuit against US FAA over SpaceX Starship explosion

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is being sued by a coalition of environmental organisations on the grounds that the federal government failed to thoroughly assess the potential environmental harm that SpaceX's Starship vehicle could cause to vulnerable regions.

The lawsuit was brought forth on Monday in a federal district court in Washington, D.C., accusing the FAA of giving SpaceX permission to launch 20 Starships annually for the following five years, Space.com reported. On April 20, the first of those authorised launches took place at Starbase, SpaceX's facility on the Gulf Coast of South Texas close to Boca Chica Beach.

Initially, the test flight went smoothly, and the 394-foot-tall (120-meter) Starship—the largest and most potent rocket ever constructed—was able to reach a maximum altitude of 24 miles (39 km). However, a number of problems with the massive spacecraft compelled SpaceX to order its destruction over the Gulf of Mexico.

Explosion resulted in particulate debris showering in surrounding area

According to the lawsuit, which was brought by the Centre for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, the Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, the explosive test mission sent particulate debris showering down on the surrounding area. 

"SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site is surrounded by state parks, National Wildlife Refuge lands and important habitat for imperiled wildlife, including piping plovers, northern aplomado falcons, Gulf Coast jaguarundi, ocelots and critically endangered sea turtles," a statement by the Center for Biological Diversity read. 

The statement further read, "Rocket launches and explosions cause significant harm through increased vehicle traffic and the intense heat, noise, and light pollution from construction and launch activities. Rocket explosions spread debris across surrounding habitat and have caused brush fires."

"The Carrizo/Comecrudo people's sacred lands are once again being threatened by imperialist policies that treat our cultural heritage as less valuable than corporate interests," Juan Mancias, tribal chair of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc., said in the same statement.