The expansion of SpaceX’s rocket launch in South Texas has correlated with a decline in some bird species in the vicinity, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USA (FWS).
In a draft of a biological notice and agreement at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), presented in the cnbc and Bloomberg reports, the FWS said SpaceX’s expansion into the Boca Chica domain has had a negative effect on endangered shorebird species. These come with the Snowy Plover and the Whistling Plover.
Elon Musk’s domain company needs to expand its rocket in Texas, Starbase, by adding a launch moment and a landing pad from where it can take off the company’s massive Starship rocket. The domain where SpaceX builds includes many habitats and wetland ecosystems.
“It is known what happened to the ‘missing’ plovers, but if SpaceX’s activities resulted in the loss of more than a portion of Boca Chica’s population, the entire critical habitat is affected,” the FWS said in its letter.
The reasons why “missing birds” can be death from rocket tests and explosions, habitat loss due to recovery of rocket debris, injuries to internal organs due to testing, and displacement due to noise and operations, the FWS said in the letter.
SpaceX and the FWS did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The wildlife agency’s wildlife agency’s environmental review component of SpaceX’s plans at its Boca Chica rocket launch site. The review, which began in July 2020, was postponed several times, but the FAA said it must complete the assessment by May 31.
SpaceX will only be able to conduct orbital launches of the Starship rocket once the FAA has finished its assessment and given the company the green light. Musk has said in the past that the craft will likely fly into orbit for the first time this year.