Army Corps of Engineers closes SpaceX Starbase permit application citing lack of information

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

The US Army Corps of Engineers has closed a permit application for a proposed expansion of the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, a potential roadblock in the company's plans to add new launch and landing pads to the area. The Corps cited the failure to provide requested follow-up information as a reason for closing the permit. The Corps wanted more information about what the company would do to limit the loss of water and wetlands around the site.

In 2012 the company purchased land in Texas to build a facility to launch its rockets. In recent years, the company has created a massive new site called Starbase to build and test launch prototypes of its next-generation rocket called Starship, which is designed to eventually take people and cargo to deep space.

As the company continues to grow in Boca Chica, it periodically changes the permit it holds with the Army Corps of Engineers, which makes sure that the construction plans don't violate the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. In December 2020, the company proposed to modify its existing permit for an expansion that would include test, orbital, and landing pads, integration towers, associated infrastructure, and vehicle parking, according to a public notice. A map showing the plans for a new landing pad, two launchpads, and two suborbital launchpads was included.

Changes would require the backfill of existing flats and wetlands. The public notice claimed that the proposed changes would affect 10.94 acres of mud flats, 5.94 acres of estuarine wetlands, and 0.28 acres of nontidal wetlands. The public was urged to petition the Corps to deny the permit modification by various activist groups.

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

After the comment period ended, the Corps sent a letter to SpaceX detailing the responses from the EPA, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corps itself, and Texas environmental protection organizations. To address the comments, as well as submit various documents, including a plan for alternative construction that would provide the same purpose but provide lesser impacts to the area, and more, was asked by the city.

According to a letter sent by the Corps to the company on March 7th, the company did not provide its response to comments and an analysis in October. The Corps determined that the plan for alternatives was lacking in detail. An alternative plan that would accomplish the same goals that the company hopes to achieve but without impacting any wetlands is what the Corps wants.

The letter said that there was confusion over the No Action Alternative because of conflicting statements the company had made. According to the Corps, the company eliminated the possibility of launching Starship out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the company's primary launch site. During a public broadcast in February, Musk mentioned that the company would move to Cape Canaveral if it did not get regulatory approval. The Corps noted that moving to Cape Canaveral seems to be a No Action Alternative. The Corps said that a more rigorous analysis was needed if the possibility was serious.

The permit application of the Corps was withdrawn because of incomplete information and confusion. It seems like the permit can easily be reopened.

The application process for the SWG Regulatory Office has been closed because Space Exploration Technologies has not provided requested information. The permit application process will be reinitiated once the requested information is received.

It's not clear if the company is planning on sending what the Corps requested or if they failed to provide the necessary information. In time for publication, the company did not respond to the request for comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration is considering whether to give the company a license to launch the spaceship from Boca Chica, while it undergoes a federal review with the Corps. In September, the FAA released a draft programmatic environmental assessment detailing the ways in which the expanded plans for Starbase would impact the area. There is no mention of launching out of Cape Canaveral as a No Action Alternative. As the FAA consults with other government entities about the project, it has consistently delayed its decision on how to proceed. The deadline for a decision is at the end of April.

The construction of the launch infrastructure for the Starship is ramping up. The movement is seen as a sign that if the FAA decision does not go their way, the vehicle will be moved to Florida.

Below is a letter from the Corps to SpaceX.