The first of two environmental impact statements regarding the SpaceX plan for the Space Coast spacecraft launch site was released last week, excluding the company’s plans to fly 76 times a year from the Cape Canaveral Space Station.
The Air Force Department owns the property at the recently used Space Launch Complex 37 by the United Launch Alliance, but it was closed in 2024 after the final launch of ULA’s last Delta IV heavy rocket.
The Air Force is taking the EIS lead at the site, but the Federal Aviation Administration has its own EIS in work on the spaceship launch site for the nearby launch complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39-A, where SpaceX is set to launch 44 Starships a year.
The combination of 120 potential firings will inflate SpaceX’s already incredible pace. With the addition of existing Falcon rockets to the total, the company was able to easily make over 200 launches from Space Coast in a year.
While the previous ULA sites have always been optional, SpaceX also focused on a new launch complex at Canaveral, known as the SLC-50, but removed the EIS, citing that the proposed site is currently an undeveloped green space and is potentially harmful, environmentally and archaeologically.
“Developing the SLC-50 is less ideal than redeveloping existing SLCs,” reads the report. “In addition, leveraging existing infrastructure will increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact.”
The final version of EIS is expected to be released in the fall. But first, a series of face-to-face meetings and one virtual presentation will be scheduled during the comment period for the EIS Draft, which will be open from June 13th to July 28th.
The three public meetings will take place on Tuesday, July 8th from 4pm to 7pm, Wednesday, July 9th from 4pm to 7pm at Radisson Resort, Port of Cape Canaveral, from 4pm to 7pm on Thursday, July 10th at Jolie Smith Recreation Centre in Cocoa from 4pm to 7pm. The virtual hearing will take place from July 15th to 28th via a link posted on SpaceForCestarshipeis.com’s dedicated website for Cape Canaveral EIS.
The Draft EIS outlines the potential effects of launching and landing spacecraft. For now, SpaceX is only available for suborbital testing missions from the Texas site Starbase. The launch of the first two tests in 2025 ended with the collapse of the upper stage of the spaceship, crumbling into sights seen from South Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The latest ones are better, but I still see spacecraft on roads around the world getting out of control.
But already SpaceX is in the midst of Space Coast’s $1.8 billion infrastructure project, supporting it to build Starship Factory and become one of Cape Canaveral’s launch sites and KSC. SpaceX recently declared it aims to launch its first spacecraft from Space Court by the end of the year, which will be subject to EIS acceptance and approval for launch from the FAA.
For now, Starship is grounded until SpaceX submits its latest Starship accident investigation.
Within the Air Force EIS at the Canaveral Site, it outlined SpaceX’s intentions would not only be 76 times, but potentially double the landings. 76 for a powerful super heavy booster that returns a few minutes after launch, and its mission could return within hours.
SpaceX will build two launch pads and two landing pads within the new infrastructure.
Half of the launch takes place at night, and some of the return landings could still take place offshore, as most of the booster landings in the Falcon 9 launches using drones stationed in the Atlantic.
While the Air Force takes the lead, the EIS also includes opinions from the FAA, NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.
EIS focuses not only on environmental, social, economic, historical and cultural influences.
For each of the 68 potential impacts, the draft EIS concluded that at worst there was no or no significant impact.
“The only known potentially important cumulative effects are related to noise,” reads EIS. “Given the increased launch activity at CCSF and KSC, there is a possibility that community nuisance will increase in the surrounding area.”
The sonic boom from the return booster and upper stages is becoming more common and potentially larger than what you’re currently hearing along the space shore from the smaller Falcon 9 booster.
Several other effects may be mitigated, particularly including endangered and endangered species species that can be found on site during construction.
“The habitat of Southeastern Beach Mouse, which was permanently lost during construction, will be mitigated by providing funds to offset habitat loss at offsite locations, in accordance with an agreement with the USFWS,” the statement reads as an example.
There is a special note that if a tricolor bat is roost on the site, they will be allowed to leave before the demolition begins.
There is also a plan to ease the Floridas Club Jays, East Indigo Snakes, Gopher Turtles and Bald Eagles.
The report also said the construction and operation of the launch of the spacecraft from Canaveral would benefit the region economically.
He also said Space Force’s space-fire Delta 45 unit, which oversees launch operations at both KSC and Canaveral, is dependent on SpaceX competitors to prevent them from being pushed into the side.
“SLD 45 aims to develop mitigation strategies to reduce scheduling competition between launch providers and reduce the impact from conflict,” the report states.
The goal of the EIS from the Air Force and Space Force perspective was to allow SpaceX to launch new rockets as part of the Department of Defense’s guaranteed space program.
“The (proposed launch site) will enhance the space launch mission capabilities of US DOD, NASA and other federal and commercial customers, increase the resilience and capabilities of the country’s space launch infrastructure, and promote a robust and competitive domestic space industry,” the report said.
Original issue: 6am, June 10th, 2025
