Following three in-person sessions last week here on the Space Coast, this evening (June 17) there will a virtual (online) meeting for people to learn more information about the Proposed Action by the Federal Aviation Administration to allow SpaceX to build a new launch and also a new returning booster catch tower at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

It is worth noting that this Environmental Impact Statement is separate from another EIS currently being prepared for Starship launch/landing activities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. You can find out more information about that EIS here: The US Air Force Is Studying Space Coast Launch Pads For SpaceX Starship.

Talk of Titusville encourages all citizens to participate in this process and to add their comments to the official record(s) for one or both Environmental Impact Studies.

Comments Welcome

As described below, the public will have several avenues to add their comments into the record, and those comments will be considered during the Environmental Impact Statement Process:

SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy Project at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A

The VIRTUAL meeting will be held on June 17, 2024; 6pm – 8pm (Eastern).

The URL and call-in number for the meeting are provided below:
Zoom Link URL: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89402979916

ZOOM Meeting ID: 894 0297 9916 

Call-in number options (all toll-free): 833-928-4608, 833-928-4609, or 833-928-4610

The virtual meeting will consist of a closed-captioned auto-run presentation describing the purpose of the scoping meetings, project schedule, opportunities for public involvement, Proposed Action and alternatives summary, and environmental resource area summary.  Presentations will be run at the beginning of each hour. Members of the public may provide written comments via the chat function during the presentation and for the remainder of each hour.  Verbal comments up to three minutes can be given after the completion of each presentation.  A moderator will facilitate verbal comments.  English-Spanish translation services for verbal comments will be provided.  Both English and Spanish versions of the presentation will be made available to the public on FAA’s project website.

What’s This All About?

SpaceX proposes constructing launch, landing, and other associated infrastructure for its new Starship Super Heavy rockets “at and near LC-39A. The proposal would also include Starship-Super Heavy launches at LC-39A; recoverable Super Heavy booster and Starship landings at LC-39A or on a droneship; and expendable Super Heavy booster and Starship landings in the ocean.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the lead Federal agency and is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of issuing a commercial launch vehicle operator license to SpaceX for the proposed Starship activity.

The general public is invited to learn more at the past in-person sessions and at the online session being held tonight. Multiple avenues for the public to submit comments exist, and the deadline is one week from today.

According to the FAA, “To ensure sufficient time to consider issues identified during the public scoping period, comments should be submitted no later than June 24, 2024.”

Also according to the FAA, the public can receive updates as they are made by, “Subscrib[ing] to our mailing list to receive updates on this project. Please utilize one of the methods described above to submit public comments. Comments sent to the project email will not be considered a formal public comment.

Display Boards

The FAA has replicated the display boards from the in-person meetings and placed them online. You can review or download them here:

FAA Fact Sheet

You can read through the fact sheet provided by the FAA here: