FAA ruled to have satisfied obligations in granting approval for expanded SpaceX operations next to wildlife refuge

A US district court judge on Monday rejected a suit by conservation groups challenging the Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2022 of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk’s SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in south Texas.

The groups said noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic also degrade the area, home to endangered ocelots and jaguarundis, as well as nesting sites for endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and for threatened shorebirds. US district judge Carl Nichols in Washington said FAA had satisfied its obligation “to take a hard look at the effects of light on nearby wildlife”.

Donald Trump signed an executive order on 13 August – titled Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry – that would relax environmental rules for commercial spaceship companies, apparently benefitting Elon Musk. The companies may be able to forgo the environmental reviews that are required under the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa).