CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As SpaceX celebrated its tenth test launch Starship launches 10th flight test of its giant rocket expected to land astronauts on the moon, not everyone is just as excited about Starship’s future.
Once launch operations shift from Texas to Kennedy Space Center, some have concerns about noise, flight delays, and closing a beach.
On Thursday, Brevard County Community Correspondent James Sparvero heard more local reaction to Starship’s potential local impacts at a public meeting hosted by the FAA at the Radisson hotel in Cape Canaveral.
Along with a proposal to close Playalinda Beach at the Canaveral National Seashore for an estimated 60 days a year, Starship launches could also delay flights at Florida’s busiest airports like Orlando by up to two hours.
“Spacecraft leaving this area now is almost too much, but it’s tolerable,” Mark Nathan said. “But to do 45 of these giant rockets that is gonna be going up maybe 45 times a year, I think is beyond the pale.”
Bill Lundell, who also attended Thursday’s meeting, doesn’t want the SpaceX mega rocket to launch from Florida at all.
“Keep it in Texas,” he said. “We already had enough explosions out here. I watched the Challenger blow up 40 years ago this January, and I’m telling you, one of those coming here, it’s just not worth the environmental costs.”
Nathan also drew a comparison to an iconic rocket of the past.
“The Apollo Saturn Vs were really a big rocket,” he said. “We remember those, but it was once in a blue moon, two or three a year, at the very most. But 45, maybe 50 a year, that’s one a week. And I think that’s more than any of us signed up for.”
After Thursday’s meetings at the Radisson, there’s still one more chance for residents to weigh in or learn more about Starship’s future on the Space Coast.
The FAA is hosting a virtual meeting Wednesday, Sept. 3, between 6-8 p.m.
Participants can call in toll-free at 888-788-0099.
The webinar ID is 892 9206 9685, and the passcode is 095859.