What happened because of the missile?
The United States Federal Aviation Agency issued SpaceX a 5-year license in mid-April to operate this rocket, the largest in the world, which was developed and tested by the company in Boca Chica, in the far south of the state. On April 20, the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk launched the “Starship” missile for the first time, but encountered problems that forced the company to activate the self-destruct command. This led to the “Starship” exploding above the sea, about 4 minutes into the flight. The launch pad itself was also partially destroyed by the power of the engines, sending large amounts of debris and chunks of concrete flying.
Case details
A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by several organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the US Bird Conservancy.
“The launch pad is located near habitats of protected species and migratory birds, such as Kemp’s tortoises or plovers,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement, noting that the test ” diffused fine particles into the surrounding areas”.
The organization also noted the noise and light pollution linked to the space station, as well as the outbreak of fires due to the operation.
When granting the license, the aviation regulator imposed a number of restrictions on SpaceX, including an assessment of the condition of animals and plants by biologists, before and after launch, as well as the need to clean up debris.
But these measures are “not sufficient to prevent the aviation program from causing significant environmental damage,” according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment on the existing lawsuit, according to Agence France Presse.
What happened after the flight?
The April 20 test flight caused a fire that spread over nearly 1.5 hectares in Boca Chica Provincial Park, south of the launch pad, according to the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. The authority said “the aftermath of the launch includes (the scattering) of a large number of pieces of concrete, steel plates, metals and other objects within a radius of hundreds of meters.” It also created a “cloud of crushed concrete, more than 10 kilometers northwest of the launch pad”. However, the authority said in a statement that no dead animals were found in the areas it manages.
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