A group of environmentalist organizations have sued the Federal Aviation Administration over last month’s SpaceX explosion.
The SpaceX Starship exploded over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, minutes after taking off from a South Texas launchpad.
The launch of the unmanned craft threw debris thousands of feet away, into vehicles and buildings as well as a wildlife habitat, and started a multi-acre fire at Boca Chica State Park.
The complaint accuses the FAA, which is currently investigating the failed launch, of violating the National Environmental Policy Act by licensing SpaceX to launch the spacecraft and not considering the environmental impacts. No injuries were reported as a result of the explosion.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported last week that on top of the debris, the launch also sent a plume of pulverized concrete several miles from the launch site, which is in a remote area near South Padre Island.
“Federal officials should defend vulnerable wildlife and frontline communities, not give a pass to corporate interests that want to use treasured coastal landscapes as a dumping ground for space waste,” stated Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs.
The American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV (Rio Grande Valley) and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas are the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington.
The FAA has grounded all Starships until its investigation is complete.
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said the next launch would be ready soon after the FAA’s investigation.