SpaceX’s Starship launch last April was a huge success. Yes, the rocket exploded, which was the focus of most criticism at the time. But as experts have explained, this was a planned part of the milestone achievement of Elon Musk’s heavily subsidized space exploration company.
However, the real failure of SpaceX’s spacecraft is not fully revealed until the months after launch.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, the Starship launch left devastating damage to the local environment, US wildlife officials said after surveying the site shortly after the launch. These reports, by US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists, were obtained by the news agency at the request of the Freedom of Information Act.
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Wildlife officials note that when they examined the scene after Starship lifted off, they found boulders of concrete in the area and foot-deep craters in the mud flats. The report said four acres of nearby Texas State Park burned down. A group of blue land crabs and seven bobwhite quail eggs were “burned” by the launch.
Overall, the explosion at launch left “a 385-acre debris field that threw chunks of concrete up to 2,680 feet from the launch pad and started a 3.5-acre fire.”
For years there have been concerns about SpaceX’s rocket base’s proximity to endangered species, including a nesting beach for loggerhead sea turtles. A group of environmental groups sued the FAA after SpaceX’s launch in April, saying the agency failed to conduct an adequate environmental assessment. As for the species that were harmed, US wildlife biologists could not find any deceased endangered species.
However, biologists note that their investigation into this matter has been severely hampered by SpaceX. Wildlife protection officers were not allowed to enter the site for up to 48 hours after Starship took off. This means animals that may have been killed could have been removed from the site, swept away by the current, or eaten by other animals before experts could properly document the aftermath.
Much of the damage was caused by a deliberate decision by SpaceX that seemingly confused experts in the documents. SpaceX did not use flame suppression technology such as a flame deflector or flame trench, an industry standard that directs energy away from the rocket ship. Without them, Starship ripped a hole in the ground and subsequently destroyed its launch pad.
The FAA is currently reviewing an investigation into the launch and has temporarily halted further attempts. However, a wildlife official pointed out in the documents that SpaceX likely won’t be ready for another launch any time soon.
“The pad site has been completely destroyed and will likely force them to redesign the whole thing,” the official wrote. “Probably there won’t be another launch for a while.”