Interesting Engineering By Brad Bergan 6/13/2022
We're one step closer to setting foot on the Red Planet.It's finally happening.
SpaceX can officially launch its colossal Mars rocket — Starship — into orbit from South Texas, according to an environmental review from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), released on Monday.
The agency concluded that Elon Musk's private aerospace firm's aims to execute orbital launches of Starship pose "no significant impact" on the region throughout the Gulf Coast near Brownsville, Texas.
While 75 more items of action must be completed to reduce the ecological impact of the surrounding environment from Starship launches, this means Musk's aims to send humans to Mars — in addition to SpaceX's forthcoming missions with NASA to return humans to the moon — is finally locked down.
So strap in, and prepare for the next phase of Space Race 2.0.
SpaceX's Starship is cleared for its path to MarsAs a next-generation launch system, SpaceX's Starship will be a central pillar of NASA's Artemis project, which aims to return humans to the moon, and take us even farther into deep space. Most crucially, to build a settlement on Mars. But now, with the FAA's approval, Musk's firm has a gateway to this future on its hands.
This isn't without a few provisos — for one, SpaceX must give earlier notice of its launches. It must also take care to monitor the effects on wildlife and vegetation of the region by coordinating biologists with state and federal agencies, while ensuring that all launch debris is safely removed from sensitive habitats. Notably, lighting in the region must be adjusted to reduce its impact on wildlife, in addition to a nearby beach.
The FAA's measures also demand SpaceX limit its closures of a highway that's near the launch site so that ordinary people can still go to the nearby beach, park, and enjoy the wildlife refuge. One wonders why Elon Musk wanted to build a giant rocket launch facility near a wildlife refuge, but these things happen. Regardless, the FAA said the highway couldn't be shut down on 18 holidays, in addition to no more than five weekends annually.
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https://interestingengineering.com/mars-spacex-faa-starship-launch