The explosion of the Starship rocket Elon Musk, that would be used to travel to the Moon and Mars, generated a series of situations that would further delay the tests. already talked about the routine investigation of the American FAA, and now a lawsuit is coming from environmental groups.
The good news for Musk: The Center for Biological Diversity’s lawsuit isn’t against him, but for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, for its acronym in English), alleging that it did not comply “with fundamental federal environmental law”.
The environmentalists, who filed the document in federal court in Washington, seek to protect some of the habitats of migratory birds most vital in North America.
“It is vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look at the stars in this modern age of spaceflight,” Jared Margolis, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
The explosion of Starship, Elon Musk’s rocket
The private spaceport of SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, is located in South Texas. From there he flew Starship for four minutes, until exploding over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20.
According to the demand, quoted by CNN, “The area around the launch site is essential habitat for federally protected species, including the endangered ocelot.”
But before the failed launch, the FAA explained in a statement that the event “would not have a significant impact on the surrounding environment.”
He Washington Examiner notes that although there were no injuries and no private property was damaged, the explosion sent fragments of concrete and metal from the launch site, as well as setting fire to 3.5 acres of a forested area.
Any further attempt by Elon Musk to test a new Starship rocket has been halted for a few weeks, due to rigorous investigations by the FAA. But if the claim is successful, time will be much longer.
