Wccftech By Ramish Zafar 12/22/2020
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moved forward in its evaluation of SpaceX's proposed rocket facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. This progress comes in the form of the agency opening requests for public comment regarding the proposed facility construction, and in the process, providing brief details of what SpaceX's operational base will be made up of. Today's request comes after the FAA opened up a new environmental review for the Boca Chica site due to the vastly different nature of operation between SpaceX's in-development Starship launch vehicle platform and its operational Falcon 9 rocket lineup.
SpaceX To Add New Launch, Landing Sites In Boca Chica Texas As It Ramps Up Preparations For Super Heavy Booster Tests
The FAA's primary goal in evaluating SpaceX's plans for the Boca Chica site is to determine whether the proposed operations cause any threat to the surrounding environment and wildlife. These concerns cover a variety of areas, such as Starship's fuel. The vehicle will use liquified methane as its fuel, with the gas itself responsible for contributing to greenhouse emissions, and the FAA is the final authority to determine whether current and proposed operations violate any pre-set limits.
After it commenced the Environmental Assessment (EA) late last month, the agency is back almost a month later to solicit public comments for the facility. As part of this solicitation, the FAA has opened up a public scoping period which will expire a month from now on the 22nd of January, 2021.
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https://wccftech.com/faa-reveals-more-details-for-spacexs-starship-mars-rocket-site-in-texas/