Elon Musk's 'monster' rocket plan rocks Florida's 'space coast'

While Starship, with its size and power, promises to be a major breakthrough for the space industry, opposition from local communities and environmental groups over noise, vibration, and environmental impacts are causing major challenges.

The Super Heavy rocket carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off from the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas (USA) during its second test launch on November 18, 2023. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

Florida’s Space Coast, where the U.S. space program was founded decades ago, is undergoing a dramatic and controversial transformation, the Wall Street Journal reported on August 9. The region saw the great strides of the Apollo program that sent astronauts to the moon, but now the spotlight is on a new project from billionaire Elon Musk and his space company SpaceX: the Starship rocket.

Starship, at about 120m tall and 9m in diameter, is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is not just about size but also about power, with a thrust of up to 10,000 tonnes, equivalent to 160 Boeing 787s taking off at the same time. SpaceX plans to launch the rocket dozens of times a year from Cape Canaveral, an ambitious goal in NASA’s plan to return to the moon and Mr Musk’s plan to “colonise” Mars.

The Super Heavy rocket carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off from the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas (USA) during its second test launch on November 18, 2023.

However, the appearance of Starship is not without opposition. With its enormous thrust, Starship will create deafening noise and vibration, which can have serious impacts on the environment and local communities. Professor Kent Gee from Brigham Young University said that the noise and vibration from the rocket could be equivalent to 10 Falcon rocket launches at the same time, causing impacts that cannot be accurately measured on people and the environment.

Concerns about Starship’s impact extend beyond noise levels. Commercial fishermen and airline pilots are voicing strong opposition. Joey Spoerle, who operates three commercial fishing boats out of Port Canaveral, said the rocket launches have had a major impact on their operations, cutting off access to prime fishing grounds. Delta Air Lines pilot Capt. Steve Jangelis has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review the launches’ impact on air traffic and reroute flights.

Dozens of residents gathered at a public hearing on June 12 to hear presentations from government agencies like the FAA and NASA about the impact of the Starship program. Community concerns extend beyond noise and vibration to environmental impacts: The massive amounts of water used during launch could impact sensitive ecosystems.

The pushback from environmental groups has also been notable. More than a dozen environmental groups have filed petitions with the FAA about Starship’s impact on shorebird and turtle populations, which depend on wetlands for habitat and nesting. These concerns have led to a lawsuit filed in federal court by environmental groups over Starship’s environmental impact assessment.

While SpaceX has made significant progress testing Starship in Texas, where it has conducted four test flights, its plans to launch in Florida have encountered obstacles. The company has faced pushback from competitors like Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance, who are concerned that SpaceX could dominate the infrastructure and resources at Cape Canaveral. Blue Origin has proposed limiting the number of Starship launches, a proposal to which Musk has responded angrily.

The current situation is controversial, with commercial and environmental interests clearly divided. Port Canaveral, which is currently the second busiest cruise port in the world, is also concerned about the potential damage to its infrastructure and the operations of many cruise ships. Meanwhile, fishermen and local communities continue to express discontent about the impact of the launches on their daily activities.

Elon Musk has called Starship the “holy grail of space technology,” with the goal of driving a “profound revolution” in orbital access and sending humans to Mars. The project is not only a key part of Musk’s strategy, but also a milestone in the space industry. However, the success of Starship will depend not only on SpaceX’s technical capabilities, but also on its ability to navigate and balance the economic and environmental benefits of the Florida space coast.