Federal regulators hear the pros, cons of SpaceX’s work in …

The SpaceX rocket being developed in South Texas is either a God-given use of natural resources or a stain on the environment, depending who you ask.

The companys Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft have become a massive silver beacon in an otherwise undeveloped area outside of Brownsville. It lures supporters excited for economic growth, innovation and the exploration of space. And it draws criticism as an unnatural, often explosive intruder in an area beloved for birdwatching and the beach.

On Monday, both sides met via Zoom to lobby federal regulators. Super Heavy and Starship are being developed to carry people to the moon, Mars and beyond.

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More than 50 people many of whom do not live in South Texas provided comments on a draft environmental review that was released last month by the Federal Aviation Administration. Another virtual public hearing will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Pearl Smith used her three minutes to cite Scripture from the Bible.

How can we see what lights are in the sky or what are beyond the lights of the fourth day of creation if we dont allow SpaceX to go into outer space? she asked. We are not created for the Earth. The Earth is created for us human beings.

Others pleaded with the FAA not to impede SpaceXs rapid pace of innovation. And some worried about humanity not being prepared for an asteroid like the one that killed the dinosaurs.

We have an opportunity to look beyond the small environmental impact that is a few bangs and a few booms, said Mitchell Maxey, and we should look beyond to a bigger bang and a bigger boom that might happen here on Earth.

SpaceX neighbors, however, detailed disruption to their lives. Environmental groups described explosions and fires that have already damaged the sensitive habitats of rare, threatened and endangered species. They argued that the environmental review lacked important information and called for a more rigorous review.

This is not an episode of freaking Star Trek, Brownsville resident Emma Guevara said. This is our lives. This is our home. I can see the explosions from the rockets from my window. The last time that there was an explosion here, they could not clean up our beach. The beach where I played as a child. The beach where my family has gone fishing.

Those opposed to the project want a more rigorous environmental impact statement rather than the environmental assessment SpaceX prepared under FAA supervision.

Guevara said the beach is one that thousands of people have used as a both a place of recreation and for food.

SpaceX cannot launch the combined Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft into orbit until the FAA, which issues commercial launch licenses, completes its licensing process. The environmental review is part of this process.

This review outlines how SpaceX might impact the regions air quality, noise level, wildlife, water and more. It also provides insight into the companys operations in Boca Chica.

The combined Super Heavy and Starship are expected to be 400 feet tall. The Super Heavy could have up to 37 Raptor rocket engines, and the Starship could have up to six of them. To date, the Starship prototypes have conducted high-altitude flights in South Texas using three engines.

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Once operational, the combined rocket and spacecraft could launch to orbit five times a year.

Launches and tests could be more frequent while the company develops the vehicles. Starship could take suborbital flights, in which the vehicle climbs to a high altitude and then lands without circling the Earth, up to 20 times a year. Super Heavy could launch three times a year, suborbital or orbital, with or without the Starship on top.

During the development phase, Texas 4, the only road leading to the SpaceX facility, could be closed for up to 500 hours a year for nominal operations, which means everything is going as planned. SpaceX is seeking an additional 300 hours a year to clean up debris after explosions, crash landings or other anomalies.

Ellen Tyma lives off Texas 4 and is 12 miles from the launch facility. She described reckless driving and said she often sees dead animals on the side of the road.

Sharon Almaguer said her house in Port Isabel shook when the three-engine Starship prototypes launched and is concerned about widespread property damage when the Super Heavy lifts off.

What is the worst-case scenario if Starship/Super Heavy explodes on or above the launch pad? asked Jim Chapman, president of the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a support group for Santa Ana and the Lower Rio Grande Valley national wildlife refuges. The draft (environmental assessment) does not contain a launch failure analysis.

Brownsville resident Bekah Hinojosa was unhappy with how the FAA has interacted with residents in the Rio Grande Valley. She said the FAA should have issued a 30-day notice in Spanish that the public hearing should have comments translated in Spanish.

Jernimo Reyes-Retana said the environmental review needed to better consider impacts on nearby Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The document exposes lack of trans-boundary concern, Reyes-Retana said, never stating SpaceXs intentions to build a horizontal dialogue with the neighboring Mexican communities.

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Many people from outside of Texas voiced support for the company. They said SpaceX was essential for returning to the moon and giving the U.S. national security capabilities, and that the companys footprint was small compared to the surrounding natural areas.

You should really, in your evaluation, look beyond just Boca Chica and see all the beneficial impacts that SpaceX can have and Starship can have on the rest of the worlds environment, said Markus Mobius, who is planning to visit Boca Chica with his family. I hope that you will find imaginative solutions that will not slow-walk this project to death.

Some Brownsville-area residents support the project.

Austin Barnard, who has developed a social media following by taking photos and sharing updates of the SpaceX progress, said the company has provided the community with hope for the future. I find it really awe-inspiring and just, honestly, beautiful, he said.

And Brownsville Commissioner Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa said the Brownsville area was once named the poorest community in the United States.

Were no longer in that position, she said. We are now one of the most sought-after ZIP codes to live and raise your children in. I dont just ask you, I beg you to give (SpaceX) that permit. There are so many people here in the Brownsville area who have befitted from this project.

The FAA will accept written comments through Nov. 1. The final environmental assessment will reflect the FAAs consideration of comments and provide responses to substantive comments.

If the FAA determines the potential environmental impacts would be significant and not properly mitigated to less-than-significant levels the agency would conduct the more intensive environmental impact statement.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder

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Federal regulators hear the pros, cons of SpaceX's work in ...