Talking Space

Episode 1513: What’s a WR? How does it Affect Starship’s Next Launch Date?

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So much has happened so fast in the last couple of weeks related to SpaceX’s pursuit of Starship’s Flight 2 launch license. Look at all these goings-on:

  • September 10, 2023: The list of 63 corrective actions specified in the Mishap Investigation Report are published;
  • September 13, 2023: Acting FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg comments to reporters that “We’re working well with them (SpaceX) and I think we’re optimistic sometime next month,” whatever that means.
  • Trottenberg also mentions that SpaceX would also need a separate environmental approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) before a launch. She didn’t say how long that might take.
  • Late Friday afternoon on September 15, 2023: News from FAA that they were performing a Written Reevaluation (WR) of the 2022 Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). The WR will evaluate all the new environmental data collected as a result of the April 20, 2023 initial test launch of Starship, and will include results of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation with USFWS.
  • September 18, 2023: USFWS clarifies a few things about its ESA Section 7 re-initiation of the biological consultation with the FAA in a statement to@NASASpaceflight.

    • To try and make sense of all this, Larry and Gene are pleased to welcome back Eric Roesch (@ESGHound), who by now should be familiar to regular Talking Space listeners. Eric is an environmental engineer by trade. He is an environmental permitting expert who has written extensively about permitting-related activities related to the activities of SpaceX.

    Eric, Gene and Larry will take a deep dive to provide some clarity to all the above, as well as answers to questions like:

    • Is there anything new in the environmental lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and SpaceX? Does the lawsuit have any bearing on this whole WR situation?
  • Do any of the 63 corrective actions resulting from the now-closed Mishap Investigation address the lack of an Industrial Wastewater Permit for the water deluge system?
  • How long will FAA take to confirm that SpaceX has satisfactorily completed all the corrective actions, including the environmental aspects?
  • What is a Written Reevaluation (WR)?
  • Why did the FAA decide to require a WR?
  • How long will the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service take to perform their consultation with the FAA?
  • What are the possible outcomes of the WR, and how long will they take to resolve? What is the most likely outcome?
  • What is our “SWAG estimate” as to how long before we can get an idea of when Starship will fly again?

    • Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at [email protected] .

    Contact Eric and read his writings: website: blog.esghound.com; Substack: esghound.substack.com; X/Twitter: @ESGHound; Also: Mashable story about the Bloomberg FOIA story.

    Show recorded 09-19-2023.

    Host: Larry Herrin

    Panelist(s): Gene Mikulka (Mark Ratterman, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will return)

    Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

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    Talking SpaceBy Gene Mikulka ,Mark Ratterman, Dr. Kat Robison, Larry Herrin, Heather Smith, and Sawyer Rosenstein (emeritus),
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