Explosions resulting from the test launches of SpaceX rockets have been identified as a contributing factor to the decline of an endangered bird species, posing potential challenges to Elon Musk’s expansion plans at the Texas spaceport.
In an environmental impact report released under Freedom of Information laws to CNBC, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reveals that trials of SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket could potentially reduce the available habitat for the piping plover, a coastal bird species on the brink of extinction, by as much as 50%.
The draft report further warns that the expansion of SpaceX’s Starbase site will have a significant “impact” on the red knot bird, as well as two species of wild cats: the ocelots and jaguarundis. Traffic, noise, heat, and explosions resulting from construction and rocket launches are expected to adversely affect the habitats of these animals.
The report highlights research indicating that SpaceX’s activities have had a detrimental effect on the threatened piping plover, with its population decreasing by half since SpaceX began operating from its Boca Chica site. It also raises concerns about the fate of the disappearing plovers, suggesting that if SpaceX’s activities are responsible for such significant population loss, the entire critical habitat is at risk.
The report’s authors refute the possibility that the birds simply relocated, citing the risks posed to wildlife by the “blast overpressure” generated by space rockets. “Piping plovers are particularly vulnerable to disruptions caused by human activities as they nest on exposed sandy shorelines,” explained the Endangered Species Coalition, a campaign group.
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