Environmental groups sue the FAA over SpaceX launch from Texas

Enlarge / SpaceX's Starship launch site is located in coastal South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)

Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday, saying that the agency had not sufficiently regulated the launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket from South Texas.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, the groups say that the FAA failed to account for the damage caused by testing and launching the Starship rocket, which results in "intense heat, noise, and light that adversely affects surrounding habitat areas and communities, which included designated critical habitat for federally protected species as well as National Wildlife Refuge and State Park lands."

During the initial launch of the Starship rocket, on April 20, the environmental organizations say the launch "scattered debris and ash over a large area," including adjacent lands that provide a habitat for endangered species.