US court rejects environmental challenge to SpaceX’s expanded launch site

A lawsuit by conservation groups over noise, light and wildlife risks near a South Texas refuge was dismissed, with the court ruling that the FAA had adequately considered the impact, clearing the way for SpaceX’s accelerated rocket operations.

A U.S. district court judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit by conservation groups challenging the Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2022 of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk's SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas.

The groups said noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic also degrade the area, home to endangered ocelots and jaguarundis, as well as nesting sites for endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles and for threatened shorebirds.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington said the FAA had satisfied its obligation "to take a hard look at the effects of light on nearby wildlife."

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since the lawsuit was filed by environmental groups in 2022, SpaceX has rapidly expanded its rocket production and testing infrastructure at Starbase and increased the cadence of launch tests of Starship, a 400-foot-tall rocket system at the center of Musk's Mars and launch business goals.