The FAA said on Monday that it will require Musk's company to make dozens of environmental adjustments in order to conduct further flight tests and begin operations from its Texas facility.
A summary of the environmental assessment and a detailed rundown of the actions the company needs to take were released by the FAA. The FAA said in a press release that it will require more than 75 actions from the company before it can get a launch license.
Protections for water resources, limits to noise levels, and biohazard materials control are included in the mitigated areas.
CNBC asked the company for comment, but they didn't immediately respond. The company shared a link to the FAA website with a message that said one step closer to the first flight test of Starship.
The company is working on a rocket that can carry cargo and groups of people outside of Earth. The rocket and its booster are powered by the same engines.
The FAA began a review of the program in November 2020 after the company built up its infrastructure and operations on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the last six months, the agency has delayed its final assessment five times. The ruling Monday of a mitigated finding of no significant impact is still a partial win for the company.
CNBC obtained a report this year from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that found a correlation between SpaceX activity and the decline of the piping plover. The FWS suggested little or no spending from the company.
Despite completing multiple high-altitude flight tests, the company has yet to reach space. In February, Musk gave a presentation on the path forward for the rocket at the company's Star base facility in Texas.
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