A draft environmental assessment of SpaceX’s proposal to dramatically increase the number of launches from Boca Chica/Starbase is now available for public review, the Federal Aviation Administration’s SpaceX Boca Chica Project Team announced Monday.
Formally titled the “Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment (EA),” an electronic version of the document can be found at the FAA’s Office of Commerce Space Transportation website.
SpaceX is proposing up to 25 orbital launches of its combined Starship-Super Heavy vehicle from Boca Chica, plus up to 25 landings of Starship and Super Heavy each at the launch site. Up until now the company has not retrieved any of its Starships or Super Heavy boosters, though the goal is to retrieve and reuse both components multiple times to lower the cost of spaceflight.
SpaceX conducted its first two Starship orbital test flights last year from Boca Chica. Two more have taken place so far this year, on March 14 and June 6. Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO, posted on social media on July 5 that the fifth orbital test flight would take place “in four weeks,” which turned out to be characteristically overly optimistic.
Musk said in a July 28 video conference that the fifth flight likely wouldn’t happen before late August or early September, depending on when the FAA grants the required modified launch license.
The Draft EA also address upgrades to Starship and Super Heavy, according to the FAA, which has scheduled two public meetings to gather input on SpaceX’s proposal. The first meeting takes place Aug. 13, 1-3 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the South Padre Island Convention Center, 7355 Padre Blvd.
The second meeting will be held Aug. 15, 1-3 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Port Isabel Event and Cultural Center, 309 E. Railroad Ave.
The first half hour of each public meeting will feature a prerecorded presentation, followed by an “open house information-station format” in which FAA representatives will provide further information on the project.
“At any time during the open house portion of the meeting, the public will have the opportunity to provide verbal comments to a court reporter or written comments via a written comment form at one of several commenting stations,” the agency said. “English-Spanish translation services will be provided at the in-person meetings.”
A virtual meeting will also take place, on Aug. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The public can register here. Members of the public providing oral comments will have three minutes each to do so, with a moderator on hand. English-Spanish translation services will be provided in the virtual meeting as well.
English and Spanish versions of the presentation will be made available to the public beginning Aug. 13.
To request special accommodations, such as additional translation services, submit a request by Aug. 2 to the project email address: [email protected].
The public can also submit comments on the Draft EA electronically at www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2024-2006, and by postal mail to Amy Hanson, SpaceX EA, c/o ICF 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston, VA 20190. The public comment period for the Draft EA closes on August 29.
“Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time,” the FAA said.
“While you can ask the FAA in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, the FAA cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. All comments received during the comment period will be given equal weight and be taken into consideration in the preparation of the Final EA.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
SpaceX wants to launch 25 times per year from Boca Chica
Commentary: Return to civility
My parents taught me to treat other people with dignity and respect no matter what. I took their lesson to heart. As written in Matthew 7:12, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” I want to live in a society that is built on the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Considering the current state of affairs, I am not alone in saying we have lost our way. And I am worried.
I grew up on my family’s ranch and spent countless hours riding the ranch repairing fences, clearing land and managing the livestock. I also spent many hours napping under a tree when I was supposed to be working, but that is another story. I loved riding the ranch with my dad. And we always left out water and canned food at certain locations on the ranch — everyone did in those days. We knew that people were passing through who were not supposed to be there. But you do not let somebody die of starvation or dehydration when you can help. You treat people with dignity and respect, no matter what. The Golden Rule.
My mom was an elementary school teacher and eventually became one of the first bilingual educators in the state. When I was younger, I saw her pack extra food and even children’s clothing when she went to work. One day I asked her why and she told me some kids came to school hungry or without clothes to protect them in the winter, so she brought extra to give to them. My mom taught me that you do not look down on people who have less. You treat people with dignity and respect, no matter what. The Golden Rule.
I really miss my parents; my dad passed 28 years ago and my mom died shortly after. But I try to make them proud, and I hold the lessons they taught me close. It breaks my heart because I know they would be shocked if they saw how poorly people treat one another today, especially in politics and on social media, where we should be working to bring people together.
I used to like reading the newspaper every morning and evening because it was full of stories about Americans coming together, new inventions, and, for the older folks out there who remember, the TV guide. But now, the paper is full of stories about violence, greed and abuse of power. When I go on social media, it is full of people being rude, demeaning and harassing each other. What the heck is going on? When did we start treating each other with such animosity and disrespect? When did bullying, trolling, willingly spreading misinformation and abusing power become acceptable? We have allowed ourselves to be divided over purposefully polarizing issues, and in our crusades to be right we have stopped being civil. We have stopped living by the Golden Rule.
As a policymaker, I know my colleagues have different opinions. Sometimes we want the same things, but we have different ideas about how to get there. We always have to represent what the people in our district want, and often that puts us on opposite sides of a bill. During the 88th session, and many of the four special sessions, we debated private school vouchers a lot. A whole lot. I will never support vouchers and will always support adequately funding public schools. But the pro-voucher hardliners not only promoted a scheme to take away funding from public schools, they also singled out teachers as the only public employees not to get a pay raise.
I respect that some of my colleagues had different opinions. Historically, we might be voting differently on a bill, but we were civil to one another as people. But that was then. This is now, when even the Capitol is suffering from the decay of civility.
We can disagree, but we need to be honorable when we do it. We need to right this ship, return to civility, and remember whom we are here to represent. It will be hard because it will take courage, mindfulness and humility — skills that we no longer teach and therefore no longer know how to do. At the Capitol, civility means showing respect to members of the opposite party, even if the party bosses — or mega-donors — want you to go for the jugular. It means finding a compromise, where both your districts benefit and you both look good. Being civil means putting aside your pride and working together for the greater good.
I cannot imagine that anyone wants to get bullied, mocked or bamboozled. We need to return to treating others the way we want to be treated. We need to return to the Golden Rule.
I am in. Are you?
State Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen, represents Texas House District 41, which includes northern Hidalgo County.