--- title: "FAA Demands Changes Before SpaceX Can Launch Starship to Orbit" description: "The Federal Aviation Administration has released its long-awaited environmental assessment into SpaceX's Starship launch program." date: "2022-06-13" modified: "2022-06-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/faa-spacex-starship-orbit" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # FAA Demands Changes Before SpaceX Can Launch Starship to Orbit ![The Federal Aviation Administration has released its long-awaited environmental assessment into SpaceX's Starship launch program.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Finally The Federal Aviation Administration has released its long-awaited environmental assessment into SpaceX's Starship launch program at its testing facilities in South Texas, paving the way for the company's inaugural orbital test launch. The upshot: the Elon Musk-led company will have to make a substantial amount of changes to its launch site, as detailed in a [183-page document](), to ensure the site's impact on the surrounding environment is minimal. It's been a long time coming — the investigation kicked off in November 2020, and the final assessment was delayed at least five times over the last six months, [according to *CNBC*](). Overall, the release is probably good news for SpaceX, although it's going to have to make some changes to comply with the requests. "One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship," a [SpaceX tweet]() reads. ## No Significant Impact Despite the changes, the FAA found that SpaceX's Starship efforts will "[not significantly affect]() the quality of the human environment." In other words, the company will still be able to launch its massive Moon-bound Starship spacecraft and its equally massive Super Heavy Booster from its site dubbed "Starbase" — which also happens to be home to a protected US National Wildlife Refuge. The more than 75 mitigation measures listed in the document include a variety of different requested changes, from limiting noise levels to making changes to the handling of biohazard materials. SpaceX will also have to work with a "qualified biologist" to figure out a way to minimize the impacts lighting at the site has on sea turtles. The company will also have to ensure the local history is preserved with the cataloguing of historical landmarks, and even "[construct a wildlife viewing platform]()." ## Countdown to Launch In return, SpaceX will be allowed to launch its Starship and Super Heavy from its Boca Chica, Texas launch site, as well as land its spacecraft on a "floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico, or in the water in the Pacific Ocean (near Hawaii)," according to the FAA's documentation. It's an exciting moment for the space company. Engineers have been hard at work [constructing a massive launch tower]() at the site, aiding during launch and landing of Starship and its booster. The company has yet to set a date for its inaugural launch into orbit, but given the news, we should be hearing from them soon. **READ MORE:** [FAA requires SpaceX to make environmental adjustments to move forward with its Starship program in Texas]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on Starship:** *[Something Very Bad Might Be About to Go Down at NASA]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()