<p>Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a transportation agency of the US government that regulates all aspects of civil aviation, was sued by environmental and cultural heritage organisations for allowing SpaceX to launch a rocket without a comprehensive environmental review.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched the world's most powerful rocket, but it exploded on its first integrated test flight. The blast occurred just four minutes after launching from Boca Chica, Texas on April 20.&nbsp;</p>

<p>SpaceX shared a video of the moment its Starship Super Heavy exploded and the residents in Port Isabel, Texas, shared their experiences and aftereffects on social media as sand and dust coated the city.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Videos were shared showing debris being blasted as far as the Gulf of Mexico, over 1,400 feet (425 metres) away, while a cloud of dust floated over a small town several miles (kilometres) away.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/esas-jupiter-bound-spacecraft-juice-experiences-glitch-with-antenna-in-deep-space-587366">ESA's Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE experiences glitch with antenna in deep space</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The court filings obtained by CNBC showed that the lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington DC on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The plaintiffs included: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV) and a cultural heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The US-based news outlet wrote, "The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch this report:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/spacexs-starship-worlds-biggest-rocket-blows-up-minutes-into-inaugural-test-flight-584724/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The SpaceX Starship explosion had spread particulate matter for miles as researchers were rushed to assess environmental and health impacts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has said that the site from where the rocket was launched is also closer to vital habitat for protected species, including Kemp's ridley sea turtle and the piping plover bird. CBD is among the groups that filed the lawsuit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Concerns have been raised as the FAA awarded SpaceX a license to launch 20 Starships a year for five years. Musk's company is required to carry out monitoring of vegetation and wildlife by a qualified biologist, including conducting a pre- and post-launch survey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>These groups have said that these measures are not enough and there's an urgent need for a full environmental review.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the CBD said in a statement, "It's vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight." &nbsp;</p>

<p>"Federal officials should defend vulnerable wildlife and frontline communities, not give a pass to corporate interests that want to use treasured coastal landscapes as a dumping ground for space waste," Margolis added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a transportation agency of the US government that regulates all aspects of civil aviation, was sued by environmental and cultural heritage organisations for allowing SpaceX to launch a rocket without a comprehensive environmental review.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a transportation agency of the US government that regulates all aspects of civil aviation, was sued by environmental and cultural heritage organisations for allowing SpaceX to launch a rocket without a comprehensive environmental review. Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched the world's most powerful rocket, but it exploded on its first integrated test flight. The blast occurred just four minutes after launching from Boca Chica, Texas on April 20. SpaceX shared a video of the moment its Starship Super Heavy exploded and the residents in Port Isabel, Texas, shared their experiences and aftereffects on social media as sand and dust coated the city. Videos were shared showing debris being blasted as far as the Gulf of Mexico, over 1,400 feet (425 metres) away, while a cloud of dust floated over a small town several miles (kilometres) away. ALSO READ | ESA's Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE experiences glitch with antenna in deep space The court filings obtained by CNBC showed that the lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington DC on Monday. The plaintiffs included: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV) and a cultural heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas. The US-based news outlet wrote, "The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures." Watch this report: × The SpaceX Starship explosion had spread particulate matter for miles as researchers were rushed to assess environmental and health impacts. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has said that the site from where the rocket was launched is also closer to vital habitat for protected species, including Kemp's ridley sea turtle and the piping plover bird. CBD is among the groups that filed the lawsuit. Concerns have been raised as the FAA awarded SpaceX a license to launch 20 Starships a year for five years. Musk's company is required to carry out monitoring of vegetation and wildlife by a qualified biologist, including conducting a pre- and post-launch survey. These groups have said that these measures are not enough and there's an urgent need for a full environmental review. Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the CBD said in a statement, "It's vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight." "Federal officials should defend vulnerable wildlife and frontline communities, not give a pass to corporate interests that want to use treasured coastal landscapes as a dumping ground for space waste," Margolis added. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Environmental groups in US sue FAA over SpaceX Starship explosion

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidhKRjZ3iDvFY2" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidhKRjZ3iDvFY2" /><meta charset="utf-8" />Space X's Starship, the world's biggest rocket,<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/spacexs-starship-worlds-biggest-rocket-successfully-lifts-off-on-first-test-flight-584489"> exploded during its first test flight on Thursday</a></strong> (April 20). The rocket exploded just minutes after launching from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in south Texas. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, webcast viewers were awaiting the expected upper-stage Starship's separation from the lower-stage Super Heavy rocket when the combined vehicle began flipping end over end. The explosion followed moments later, leaving a trail of smoke and falling debris.</p>

<p>Reuters tweeted a video of the explosion. The rocket reached a peak altitude of nearly 32 kilometres before the explosion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The fiery disintegration of the rocket was also captured on a live event on Facebook.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/elon-musk-loses-billions-in-net-worth-after-starship-explosion-teslas-underperformance-584620">Elon Musk loses billions in net worth after Starship explosion, Tesla's underperformance</a></strong></p>

<p>Despite the failure of the test flight, SpaceX declared it a success with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk congratulating his team on an "exciting" test of the next-generation spacecraft designed to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The first test of SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch system ever built, ends in a fiery explosion <a href="https://t.co/nprwQOTMRW">https://t.co/nprwQOTMRW</a> <a href="https://t.co/kxX6ho0Bqs">pic.twitter.com/kxX6ho0Bqs</a></p>
— Reuters (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1649124523135094786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"Congrats SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months," Musk tweeted. Ahead of the test flight, Musk had warned that technical issues were likely and sought to play down expectations for the inaugural flight.</p>

<p>SpaceX, meanwhile, said in a statement, "With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and we learned a tremendous amount about the vehicle and ground systems today that will help us improve on future flights of Starship."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Starship consists of a 164-foot (50-meter) tall crew vehicle that sits atop a 230-foot tall first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket. In February, SpaceX had conducted a successful test firing of the 33 massive Raptor engines on the booster in Starship<strong>&nbsp;</strong>spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket was being flown together for the first time, the news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The launch was scheduled for Monday but was postponed to Thursday due to a frozen pressure valve on the first-stage booster.</p>

<p><em><strong>(With inputs from agencies)</strong></em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Space X's Starship, the world's biggest rocket, exploded during its first test flight on Thursday (April 20). The rocket exploded just minutes after launching from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in south Texas.

Space X's Starship, the world's biggest rocket, exploded during its first test flight on Thursday (April 20). The rocket exploded just minutes after launching from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in south Texas. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, webcast viewers were awaiting the expected upper-stage Starship's separation from the lower-stage Super Heavy rocket when the combined vehicle began flipping end over end. The explosion followed moments later, leaving a trail of smoke and falling debris. Reuters tweeted a video of the explosion. The rocket reached a peak altitude of nearly 32 kilometres before the explosion. The fiery disintegration of the rocket was also captured on a live event on Facebook. ALSO READ | Elon Musk loses billions in net worth after Starship explosion, Tesla's underperformance Despite the failure of the test flight, SpaceX declared it a success with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk congratulating his team on an "exciting" test of the next-generation spacecraft designed to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The first test of SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch system ever built, ends in a fiery explosion https://t.co/nprwQOTMRW pic.twitter.com/kxX6ho0Bqs — Reuters (@Reuters) April 20, 2023 × "Congrats SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months," Musk tweeted. Ahead of the test flight, Musk had warned that technical issues were likely and sought to play down expectations for the inaugural flight. SpaceX, meanwhile, said in a statement, "With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and we learned a tremendous amount about the vehicle and ground systems today that will help us improve on future flights of Starship." Starship consists of a 164-foot (50-meter) tall crew vehicle that sits atop a 230-foot tall first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket. In February, SpaceX had conducted a successful test firing of the 33 massive Raptor engines on the booster in Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket was being flown together for the first time, the news agency AFP reported. The launch was scheduled for Monday but was postponed to Thursday due to a frozen pressure valve on the first-stage booster. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH | Moment when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded after liftoff

In Pictures | When Elon Musk's Starship dream exploded into 'successful failure'

<p>Elon Musk was not very 'particulate' about the success of the mission, and a Texas city is bearing the fallout. Port Isabel, a Texas city, is bearing the fallout of the billionaire's Starship rocket launch. The SpaceX which took to the skies on Monday, before subsequently exploding, has reportedly coated the Texan city with sand dust. Not only this, as per a report by the Independent, the launch was staged in the middle of a "one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds."</p>

<p>The city is around eight kilometres or nearly five miles away from the launch site, but the distance really didn't matter in this case. Cars, homes and roads were all reportedly left covered in a&nbsp;layer of dust after the blast-off.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-moment-when-spacexs-starship-rocket-exploded-after-liftoff-584670">WATCH | Moment when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded after liftoff</a></strong></p>

<p>Pictures posted by residents on social media websites show Starship "particulates" covering their possessions.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Getting reports from multiple people now of “particulates” raining down in areas of Port Isabel after the nearby explosion of the SpaceX rocket stack Starship/Superheavy, 4 minutes after liftoff this morning from Boca Chica in the Rio Grande Valley. <a href="https://t.co/Vb9ritd7JE">pic.twitter.com/Vb9ritd7JE</a></p>
— Pablo De La Rosa (@pblodlr) <a href="https://twitter.com/pblodlr/status/1649059706218991617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So rad! Or, rather, RUD. Still a huge win for SpaceX, can't wait for the next one. Btw, we got peed on by Starship about 10m after launch with a bunch of mud/dust. <a href="https://t.co/gW0PfM2RqO">pic.twitter.com/gW0PfM2RqO</a></p>
— Jared Fuller (@BarkEaterBear) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarkEaterBear/status/1649070685514334217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The dust cloud was something else during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StarshipLaunch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StarshipLaunch</a></p>
— Epic Genius - Online Classes and Essays Expert (@writerelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/writerelly/status/1649047460864745472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Dust of death are over us</p>
— Doris Wagner (@DorisWagner1) <a href="https://twitter.com/DorisWagner1/status/1649361902496104448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The city too has confirmed the reports. "Cameron County Emergency Management Division has confirmed that the dust that fell this morning in Port Isabel was sand and soil from near the Space X launch site that was lofted into the air by the force of lift-off," the city confirmed, as per Business Insider.</p>

<p>Speaking to the publication, a representative of the Derry Elementry School, Port Isabel said people's vehicles were covered with ash.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/elon-musk-loses-billions-in-net-worth-after-starship-explosion-teslas-underperformance-584620">Elon Musk loses billions in net worth after Starship explosion, Tesla's underperformance</a></strong></p>

<p>"When the rocket launched, after it exploded, all the vehicles got a whole bunch of ash on them. Inside the school, we didn't get anything. It was just the outside."</p>

<p>As per Christopher Hooks, an Austin-based journalist, the launch impacted a preserve for migratory sea birds.</p>

<p>"SpaceX elected to build this launch site in the middle of a one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds, some of which travel thousands of miles to lay eggs there," he said on Twitter.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">SpaceX elected to build this launch site in the middle of a one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds, some of which travel thousands of miles to lay eggs there <a href="https://t.co/fA3u7gEehp">https://t.co/fA3u7gEehp</a></p>
— Christopher Hooks (@cd_hooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/cd_hooks/status/1649063296908029954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The highly anticipated launch ended in failure after just minutes into its launch from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in South Texas. As per reports, Starship reached a peak altitude of nearly 32 kilometres before the explosion. &nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Elon Musk was not very 'particulate' about the success of the mission, and a Texas city is bearing the fallout. Port Isabel, a Texas city, is bearing the fallout of the billionaire's Starship rocket launch.

Elon Musk was not very 'particulate' about the success of the mission, and a Texas city is bearing the fallout. Port Isabel, a Texas city, is bearing the fallout of the billionaire's Starship rocket launch. The SpaceX which took to the skies on Monday, before subsequently exploding, has reportedly coated the Texan city with sand dust. Not only this, as per a report by the Independent, the launch was staged in the middle of a "one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds." The city is around eight kilometres or nearly five miles away from the launch site, but the distance really didn't matter in this case. Cars, homes and roads were all reportedly left covered in a layer of dust after the blast-off. Also read | WATCH | Moment when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded after liftoff Pictures posted by residents on social media websites show Starship "particulates" covering their possessions. Getting reports from multiple people now of “particulates” raining down in areas of Port Isabel after the nearby explosion of the SpaceX rocket stack Starship/Superheavy, 4 minutes after liftoff this morning from Boca Chica in the Rio Grande Valley. pic.twitter.com/Vb9ritd7JE — Pablo De La Rosa (@pblodlr) April 20, 2023 × So rad! Or, rather, RUD. Still a huge win for SpaceX, can't wait for the next one. Btw, we got peed on by Starship about 10m after launch with a bunch of mud/dust. pic.twitter.com/gW0PfM2RqO — Jared Fuller (@BarkEaterBear) April 20, 2023 × The dust cloud was something else during the #StarshipLaunch — Epic Genius - Online Classes and Essays Expert (@writerelly) April 20, 2023 × The Dust of death are over us — Doris Wagner (@DorisWagner1) April 21, 2023 × The city too has confirmed the reports. "Cameron County Emergency Management Division has confirmed that the dust that fell this morning in Port Isabel was sand and soil from near the Space X launch site that was lofted into the air by the force of lift-off," the city confirmed, as per Business Insider. Speaking to the publication, a representative of the Derry Elementry School, Port Isabel said people's vehicles were covered with ash. Also read | Elon Musk loses billions in net worth after Starship explosion, Tesla's underperformance "When the rocket launched, after it exploded, all the vehicles got a whole bunch of ash on them. Inside the school, we didn't get anything. It was just the outside." As per Christopher Hooks, an Austin-based journalist, the launch impacted a preserve for migratory sea birds. "SpaceX elected to build this launch site in the middle of a one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds, some of which travel thousands of miles to lay eggs there," he said on Twitter. SpaceX elected to build this launch site in the middle of a one-of-its-kind preserve for migratory sea birds, some of which travel thousands of miles to lay eggs there https://t.co/fA3u7gEehp — Christopher Hooks (@cd_hooks) April 20, 2023 × The highly anticipated launch ended in failure after just minutes into its launch from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in South Texas. As per reports, Starship reached a peak altitude of nearly 32 kilometres before the explosion. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Musk leaves a mess...Texans try to deal with 'fallout' of failed SpaceX rocket Starship

starship-blast

Starship Blast, News on Starship Blast, stories on Starship Blast, articles on Starship Blast, Starship Blast stories at Wion, Starship Blast news, Starship Blast latest news

starship blast

Environmental groups in US sue FAA over SpaceX Starship explosion

WATCH | Moment when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded after liftoff

In Pictures | When Elon Musk's Starship dream exploded into 'successful failure'

Musk leaves a mess...Texans try to deal with 'fallout' of failed SpaceX rocket Starship