Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2014 3:52 pm
Christopher Sherman | AP
McALLEN (AP) — Building and operating a private rocket launch site along the coast in the southernmost tip of Texas is unlikely to jeopardize the existence of protected animal species and create few unavoidable impacts, according to a final federal environmental review.
The Federal Aviation Administration released the environmental impact statement for California-based SpaceX on Thursday. It does not guarantee that the FAA would issue launch licenses there, but it is an essential step in that direction.
SpaceX has proposed launching 12 rockets per year from the site east of Brownsville and 3 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border called Boca Chica Beach, but did not make any promises Thursday. If built, it would be the first commercial orbital launch site.