Environmental groups in US sue FAA over SpaceX Starship explosion
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a transportation agency of the US government that regulates all aspects of civil aviation, was sued by environmental and cultural heritage organisations for allowing SpaceX to launch a rocket without a comprehensive environmental review.
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched the world's most powerful rocket, but it exploded on its first integrated test flight. The blast occurred just four minutes after launching from Boca Chica, Texas on April 20.
SpaceX shared a video of the moment its Starship Super Heavy exploded and the residents in Port Isabel, Texas, shared their experiences and aftereffects on social media as sand and dust coated the city.
Videos were shared showing debris being blasted as far as the Gulf of Mexico, over 1,400 feet (425 metres) away, while a cloud of dust floated over a small town several miles (kilometres) away.
The court filings obtained by CNBC showed that the lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington DC on Monday.
The plaintiffs included: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV) and a cultural heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
The US-based news outlet wrote, "The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures."
