SpaceX is inching closer to sending its Starship rocket into low Earth orbit. A newly proposed flight path for the upper stage would see it fly across Florida skies—an unusual route that would seriously disrupt air traffic and raise the risk of debris falling onto populated areas below.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing SpaceX’s request for new launch and reentry flight paths that would see its upper-stage Starship rocket crossing over Florida as it makes its way toward space and eventually return for a landing at the company’s Boca Chica launch mount in Texas.
The agency is considering the safety risks of the new launch trajectories, as well as having to close the airspace over a portion of Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the U.S.
New flight paths, new risks
Last month, Starship finally broke its back-to-back losing streak by acing its 10th test flight. Following its near-flawless launch, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk explained that an upgraded version of Starship will soon reach orbit by next year and demonstrate full reusability by landing both the Super Heavy booster and its upper stage.
So far, Starship’s test flights have taken the megarocket on suborbital trajectories. SpaceX is preparing its rocket to reach low Earth orbit and complete a full trip around the planet before returning for a landing attempt at its launch site in South Texas.
In its request, the company proposed two different routes: one that would fly the rocket toward the Cayman Islands and another that would have it fly directly over Florida. The FAA is reviewing the potential environmental impact the new flight trajectory would have in regard to emissions, air quality, noise pollution, and the potential of hazardous material falling onto populated areas.
The effect of these over-Florida flights would be non-trivial for commercial airlines. “The launch and Super Heavy booster landing AHAs [Aircraft Hazard Area] could affect a minimum of 10 commercial aircraft per hour, during the lowest period of midnight hours, or up to a maximum of 200 commercial aircraft per hour, during peak daily travel periods,” according to the FAA’s assessment. The plan assumes as many as 22 Starship launches per year.
A number of Starship’s test flights have ended with the rocket breaking apart and raining debris on parts of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In June, Mexico threatened to sue over possible contamination from SpaceX’s rocket launches that sometimes rain bits of debris across the nearby border. Local conservation groups in Boca Chica have also criticized SpaceX, arguing that the Starship rocket poses a threat to the surrounding wildlife habitat.
In its recent report, however, the FAA concluded that there would be “no significant impact” from Starship’s new launch trajectories. The agency still hasn’t made its final decision; instead, it will hold a public meeting on October 7 and gather comments until October 20 before it makes a decision on SpaceX’s proposal.
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