A federal judge Monday shot down a challenge to a crucial rocket-launching license granted to Elon Musk’s SpaceX without completion of a full-bore environmental review.
While acknowledging that parts of SpaceX’s own environmental analysis “left something to be desired,” U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols concluded that overall it met National Environmental Policy Act requirements and sufficed for the Federal Aviation Administration to issue SpaceX its license despite early concerns raised by other state and federal agencies.
“They represent the NEPA process working, precisely as it should,” Nichols wrote. “The lead agency asked for input, other agencies provided frank advice about potential problems, and the lead agency took a hard look at those concerns and attempted to address them.”
The Trump administration appointee’s decision amounts to a continued green light for SpaceX’s use of its launch facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, for testing of a reusable vehicle named Starship. At nearly 400 feet tall, Nichols noted, Starship is the largest rocket ever.
