A number of environmental organizations in Texas have sued the US Federal Aviation Administration over the testing of the Starship rocket. They believe that the launch permit is obtained illegally and demand that it be revoked. Meanwhile, Elon Musk said that he was ready to re-launch in 6-8 weeks.
Eco-activists have filed a lawsuit
On Monday, May 1, the environmental organization Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The reason was the test flight of the SpaceX Starship spacecraft, which took place on April 20. It ended with the detonation of a rocket at an altitude of several tens of kilometers and a large amount of debris falling to the ground.
Representatives of the Center for Biological Diversity insist that the FAA cannot fully assess the damage that Starship launches are causing to the environment. This statement was supported by a number of other organizations, such as the American Bird Conservation Organization, Rio Grande Valley and a number of others.
They insist that the five-year permit issued by the FAA to SpaceX should be revoked. “It’s vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight,” said Jared Margolis of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The FAA declined to comment, noting that it did not comment on the ongoing lawsuit. The agency is monitoring the accident investigation and has temporarily banned Starship launches until SpaceX proves their safety to citizens.
Elon Musk is ready for new Starship Launches
Meanwhile, the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk, said on Sunday that he was ready to re-launch Starship in 6-8 weeks. The rocket explosion did not cause any significant damage to citizens, since the launch pad is located 20 km from the nearest settlement. However, the debris damaged at least one private car in the published photos.
At the same time, the company recognizes that the launch of Starship really has entailed a number of unpredictable consequences. In particular, a crater formed at the launch site, and the launch pad was seriously damaged. Pieces of steel and concrete, torn from it, rose high into the sky. The dust formed a plume that stretched for 6 km.
Musk said that changes had been made to the affected structures that would prevent a repeat of this situation. Right now, work is underway at the cosmodrome to strengthen them. In addition, the rocket detonation system will be improved so that in case of an emergency situation it can be destroyed immediately, and not 40 seconds after the need arose.
According to phys.org
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