According to reports, U.S. government wildlife officials issued final comments on SpaceX's expansion plan in Boca Chica, Texas, recommending mitigation measures as part of the long-term environmental review of federal regulators. According to the copy of the report seen by Bloomberg, the U.S. Fish and wildlife administration recently issued the "final biological and conference opinions" and proposed several conservation measures to minimize the impact of SpaceX's latest rocket on local species.
This opinion is part of the Federal Aviation Administration's environmental assessment of the Starship rocket launch site. Since December last year, the FAA has repeatedly postponed the ruling on SpaceX's application for approval. The authority said it was working to complete the review by the end of this month.
Federal wildlife experts suggested that Elon Musk's company take several mitigation measures, including signing a contract with qualified biologists to monitor vegetation and birds, operating staff shuttle buses between the launch site and the nearby Brownsville Town, reducing vehicle traffic, and adjusting lights to minimize the impact on turtles. According to the report, SpaceX has provided regulators with an updated version of the biological monitoring plan.
SpaceX did not comment. Earlier this month, Gwynne shotwell, President of SpaceX, said the company would test the starship in Texas in June or July.
Boca Chica is the site for assembling a fully reusable starship system. The rapid development of facilities here is the key to the company's plan to use rockets to send humans to the moon and Mars. The 47 acre Boca Chica launch site is located in the Gulf of Mexico, adjacent to beaches, swamps and wetlands, providing an important habitat for a variety of species such as turtles, honkers, leopards and falcons.