In a recent Department of the Air Force announcement, the Air Force said an Environmental Impact Study isunder way for potential new launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Center.

The proposed facility would be aimed at providing an Eastern Range launch pad for SpaceX’s Starship, the largest, most powerful rocket ever built. By comparison, Starship has over 16 million pounds of thrust, compared to NASA’s new Space Launch System, which has half of that.

What Is An Environmental Impact Study?

In the United States at the federal level, an EIS is a report mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to assess the potential impact of actions “significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” This requirement under NEPA does not prohibit harm to the environment, but rather requires advanced identification and disclosure of harm. 

American Bar Association

The first Draft of the Cape Canaveral EIS is scheduled to be released in December of this year.

Debate Starts To Heat Up

While both the future of commercial spaceflight and NASA’s plans for the moon and beyond demand such heavy lift capabilities, an expected debate has started to emerge from environmental groups as well as some local residents, who are gearing up to express opposition to the potential new facility proposed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. At the same time, others support the possible move fully and are embracing the idea.

The new Starship has already flown twice from SpaceX’s Starbase development facility in South Texas, with both test flights ending in a “RUD”, or rapid unscheduled disassembly – catastrophic vehicle failure. (RUD is space lingo for “it blew up.”)

It is likely SpaceX will face the similar battles with environmentalists and some locals in Florida that they already face in Texas, even if the situations are somewhat different.

The Lay of the Land In Boca Chica

A few years ago, SpaceX had begun construction of a Starship launch tower near Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, but that work has apparently been stopped in favor of a Starship facility near Boca Chica, Texas, where Starship being developed and test flights conducted. 

Since then, SpaceX has proceeded with extensive construction of what it calls Starbase, with two highly-publicized Starship launches during 2023.

In the interim some environmental groups loudly complained about the Texas facility, its proximity to federally protected wetlands as well as dust created by the first launch, and noise from both.

In a move to apparently remedy the standoff over, SpaceX offered a lopsided land swap to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).  As reported by ABC 13 News from Houston, SpaceX offered to turn over 477 acres near the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for only 43 acres from the Boca Chica State Park (near Starbase).

The Parks and Wildlife staff appeared ready to take the deal:  “[We] view it as a way for the agency to increase public access and protect grasslands and wetlands … these conversations continue more than a decade of cooperative work with SpaceX to carry out our respective missions as neighbors,” the TPWD statement said.  A vote was set for January 25, 2024.

But several days before the vote, the Parks and Wildlife staff sought public comment.  Over 1,039 comments were against the land exchange compared to 263 for it. The TPWD also received a letter from influential Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr against the project.  The Parks and Wildlife then hastily postponed the vote until its March 28 meeting.

Texas Public Radio reported:

Save RGV (Save Rio Grand Valley) a nonprofit group advocating against the development of liquified natural gas plants and SpaceX in the Rio Grande Valley, worries how [a] land exchange could impact sensitive wildlife areas in the future.

“The proposed exchange will further environmental impacts, including more light, noise, run-off, pollution, and traffic,” Mary Angela Branch, Save RGV member, said in a public comment to the TPWD commission. “This exchange would set a bad precedent for trading away unique sensitive habitat and public land.”

“Another question posed by Save RGV is whether TPWD possibly blocked a land purchase by Cameron County, where both parcels of land are located. One commissioner has pushed back at the exchange deal, saying the county had plans to use the land for its own conservation project.”

“Texas parks department agrees to delay SpaceX land exchange deal after public says process was rushed.” – Texas Public Radio, January 24, 2024

In December, Jeff Foust at SpaceNews reported that Texas’s congressional representatives were getting involved:

Cruz argued that the environmental reviews resulted in “asinine delays” even as the United States competes with China and Russia in spaceflight. “I’m not advocating for a wholesale repeal of our environmental laws or NEPA. I’m just arguing for them not to be applied in a dumbass way that slows down commercial space.”

The second Starship launch was “after months of delay stemming from bureaucratic red tape from AST, Fish and Wildlife and other agencies injecting themselves into the process,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, at a Dec. 13 hearing by that committee’s space subcommittee. AST is the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

Federal agencies caught in environmental crossfire over Starship launches – Jeff Foust, Space News, December 15, 2023

No Land Exchanges Needed For Florida

As both proposed launch pads are on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, no land exchanges will be needed for Florida. Until a recent deal with the State of Texas, Starbase existed on an approximately 55-acres of land, whereas CCSFS is1,325 acres, and that before the adjacent Kennedy Space Center is considered – that site has 6,000 acres of land for facilities and roads, and has 7.8 million square feet of building area, and 564 miles of roads, including 184 miles of paved and 380 miles of unpaved roads.

It should be noted that the Boca Chica Starbase is located within about 5 miles of populated Port Isabel.  In contrast, the CCSFS Launch Complex 37 is about 15 miles from Titusville and 8 miles from Cape Canaveral. Both are well out of the designated Blast Debris Area that is recognized for launches: the Saturn V in the 1960’s and 1970’s and also the recent Artemis I launch of SLS had BDAs of 3.5-4.0 miles from the launch site.

The Debate Begins in Florida

With the third test flight of Starship expected for next month in Texas, attention is shifting to SpaceX’s plans for Florida’s launch facility, and the recent announcement from the DAF of an EIS for a launch pad at CCSFS. The Department of the Air Force, which controls the bulk of the Cape Canaveral peninsula via the US Space Force, has made it clear they are in need of Starship’s heavy lift capability.

At a recent Space Mobility Conference, Gary Henry, senior advisor for national security space solutions at SpaceX, said that Starship holds the potential to become a mobility platform for the U.S. military. “The cost element of this is going to be pretty compelling, and it’ll happen soon,” Henry said. The military also intends to use the massive Starship as an inflight refueling and logistics depot, supporting Space Force missions.

Additionally, NASA’s plans for the moon and beyond hinge on Starship as part of the Artemis program, with plans for a crewed moon landing within this decade.

Such ambitious plans would require a fairly rapid cadence in Starship launches. A NASA official said last year that the use of Starship for Artemis lunar landings will require “in the high teens” of launches both from Texas and Cape Canaveral.

Locals and environmental groups are already voicing their concerns on social media, encouraging residents to research the environmental and community issues and then attend one of the upcoming public comment forums in the area.

Local Concerns Expressed on Social Media

In a Facebook group called “Fight For Zero Brevard”, one resident posted:

“PLEASE go do your research concerning the massive change in attitude by all the people who live near Boca Chica and the huge impact Starship has had to their environment and wildlife….there was such pushback by Boca Chica residents during their time to write in public comments that a much more “rigorous” environmental study was called for pushing SpaceX’s time frame out and there has been a lawsuit filed by numerous groups concerning the environmental impact hence part of the reason for SpaceX’s shift to now focusing on Cape Canaveral.“

In another group, a poster said: “There is no question that a keener eye needs to be placed on the negative effects of launches and space programs in general. Thanks for alerting us to this. The space center is a cool thing to have in our backyards, but not at the expense of human and environmental health.“

Still, others expressed concerns about the increased noise pollution of launches, the safety of residents in the event of a mishap, and the environmental effect of the fallout of heavy metals. 

Not all residents shared those concerns, touting the positive effects of the space program. A Facebook poster wrote:

“We are, after all, the Space Coast right? The space program and its associated tourism drives Brevard County’s economy. We have all of the necessary capabilities and infrastructure, so it’s a natural.“

Another said that,

“The economic future of the area depends on Starship coming to the Space Coast. Anyone who remembers the cratering house prices and boarded up businesses after Apollo and the Shuttle should be supporting SpaceX bringing Starship here.“

As of yet, none of the Space Coast’s federal representatives (Congressman Bill Posey, Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott) have weighed in on the potential of Starship flying out of Cape Canaveral or the ongoing Environmental Impact Study. Nor have any local officials, but to be fair, it has not been long since the EIS study was announced by the DAF, and their offices may also be evaluating the new documents.

Public Hearing Dates

• March 5: 4-7 PM, Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library, 308 Forrest Ave., Cocoa.
• March 6: 4-7 PM, Titusville Civic Center, 4220 S. Hopkins Ave., Titusville.
• March 7: 4-7 PM Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral.

There is also an online meeting for those who cannot attend in person:

March 12: at spaceforcestarshipeis.com

Talk of Titusville urges all interested parties to attend at least one of the meetings and to make their voice heard.

Draft Study Results Expected Late This Year

After making the study announcement and holding public hearings in March, the Environmental Impact Study will appear as a draft release of the report sometime in “winter” 2024. (As there is only one official winter month, that of December, it may be that the draft EIS is due that month.) That is not set in stone, however, so stay tuned for an announcement of specifically when that date may be.

This article was originally published on Florida Media Now, and is added here courtesy of FMN. Correspondents Jim Siegel, Charles Boyer, and Mark Stone contributed.