![]() ![]() One concern is that evidence of harm to endangered species could be removed from the site before regulators have an opportunity to assess it, Margolis said.Įlon Musk wrote in a tweet on April 21, 2023, after the test flight: "3 months ago, we started building a massive water-cooled, steel plate to go under the launch mount. ![]() That meant wildlife biologists and other field researchers could not immediately pass through to study the full scale of any damage that occurred in a nearby wildlife refuge area – though some were reportedly on location by Saturday April 22. Margolis and Cortez both noted that roads had been damaged, with gates and cordons closed immediately following the SpaceX Starship test flight. ![]() He said, "The possibility of a widely dispersed plume of emissions was not disclosed by the FAA or SpaceX, during the initial environmental permitting and approval process." Roesch has been warning the public for months that the FAA and SpaceX had not been careful enough in their environmental analysis to comfortably proceed with a launch of this magnitude. Health impacts depend upon exposure time and quantity, as well as particle size, and contents of the particulate, he added. The impacts of particulate emissions from the SpaceX launch won't be understood until samples are evaluated and the debris field measured comprehensively.īut in general, particulate emissions are regulated under the federal Clean Air Act and Texas state law.Įric Roesch, an environmental engineer who has been tracking the impact of SpaceX facilities and launches on his blog, ESGHound, said that particulate emissions are associated with pulmonary and respiratory issues, and are considered a high priority pollutant by the EPA. One industry chronicler who reported locally on the launch, Lavie Ohana, wrote that the launch was also "one of the loudest" she had ever witnessed, "with shockwaves that just felt like getting punched over and over and over." It's not yet known whether the ash- and sand-like particulate matter is dangerous to touch or breathe in and what effect it could have on soil health, Cortez and Margolis both noted. Port Isabel is a mainland town near the SpaceX spaceport, and across from the South Padre Island offshore, which also got a share of particulate matter, according to correspondence between researchers and residents shared with CNBC. In reality, following the test flight and explosion, people in Port Isabel reported broken windows in their businesses, shaking windows at their homes, and dust and particulate matter that coated their homes, schools and land unexpectedly, according to Cortez. That would translate to a one-square-mile debris field, with debris emanating about three-quarters of a mile away from the site, he said, referencing SpaceX environmental site assessment documents that are public record. Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said that in an environmental assessment – which SpaceX completed to obtain a launch license – the company told the FAA and other agencies that in the event of an "anomaly" they expected debris would fall within a limited, 700-acre area surrounding the launch site. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower
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