FAA postpones public meetings over SpaceX’s proposed 25 launches

The Federal Aviation Administration has postponed in-person public meetings scheduled for this week in Port Isabel and South Padre Island to discuss the FAA’s Draft Environmental Assessment of SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of rocket launches from Boca Chica to up to 25 per year.

The meetings were scheduled for Tuesday in South Padre Island and Thursday in Port Isabel. The FAA also postponed a virtual public meeting that had been scheduled for Aug. 20, though members of the public can still submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2024-2006.

Comments can also be mailed to Amy Hanson, FAA Environmental Specialist, SpaceX EA, c/o ICF 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston, VA 20190. The FAA said the public comment period for the Draft EA, originally due to close Aug. 29, will be extended.

In addition to up to 25 launches annually, SpaceX wants to conduct up to 25 landings each of the Starship and Super Heavy booster per year. The company’s aim is to develop Starship and Super Heavy as rapidly reusable vehicles in order to significantly lower the cost of space flight. Landing them in the water, as was the case with the company’s fourth Starship orbital test flight on June 6, does not allow for them to be retrieved.

With the fifth orbital test flight, which Musk has indicated could take place in late August or early September, SpaceX will attempt to land the booster on the launch pad at Boca Chica and steady it as it lands with mechanized arms mounted on the site’s launch tower.

The FAA said it will provide new meeting dates and a new deadline for submitting comments.

“The FAA apologizes for any inconvenience,” the agency said in a statement. “Public meetings will be rescheduled; however, the docket remains open to receive public comments.”

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