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Old 23-06-2022, 04:38 PM
glend (Glen)
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Lake Macquarie
Posts: 7,121
SpaceX already has approval for launches from the Cape, albeit the original approval was for Falcon Heavy type. As the SLS apparently has approval I can't see an issue for the Starship, and environmentally the concerns would be the same. Certainly there does not seem to be the requirement for a new environmental impact study, such as the recent Boca Chica gauntlet. I have heard concerns mentioned from NASA regarding potential damage to adjacent pads being used for ISS resupply and crew missions, but SpaceX can launch Falcon 9 missions from Vandenburg if required. Mitigation steps of damage radius may be taken, as those required at Boca Chica, like the tower blast wall, but there is no formal review program that I know of, and Elon is unlikely to have moved to build a new launch tower there without asking the question. As far as a few dead fish and birds are concerned, these are normal hazards in an operational space port. More concerning is the recommended exclusion zone radius, during launch, which for Starship I believe is a 30km radius. This is achievable at Boca Chica, as they only have to evacuate a few properties at Boca Chica village, but Coco Beach is a different situation as the area within the exclusion radius contains many people and businesses. Still the SLS has similiar concerns I would think. The SLS will launch from the Cape before Starship (which will first launch from Boca Chica), so let's see what happens.
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