FAA to Revise Environmental Assessment for SpaceX’s Boca Chica Launch Site

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced plans to issue a revised Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX‘s proposed expansion of Starship/Super Heavy launch operations at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Texas.

This revision comes as SpaceX seeks to increase the frequency of launches and landings at the site, prompting a thorough review of potential environmental impacts. The FAA’s decision to revise the draft assessment suggests that additional information or updates were deemed necessary following the initial review process.

The FAA will open an additional public comment period and hold new public meetings once the revised draft is released. Dates for these meetings will be announced at least 30 days in advance.

The agency has confirmed that all comments received during the initial comment period, which closed on August 29, 2024, will be given equal consideration alongside those submitted for the forthcoming revised draft.

The ongoing review process at Boca Chica comes amid a busy period for SpaceX’s launch operations elsewhere. Recently, the company’s Falcon 9 rocket was briefly grounded by the FAA following a landing anomaly during a Starlink mission. The FAA has granted SpaceX’s request to resume Falcon 9 flights on Friday —  just a day after the space company made a flight request.

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