According to Bloomberg News, SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, did away with plans to develop a liquefied natural gas plant on a small scale at Boca Chica, which is the company’s launch site in Texas, as revealed in federal documents.
More on SpaceX plan
SpaceX is no longer proposing to build the desalination plant, natural gas pre-treatment, liquefier system, and power plant at the vertical launch area of the site, as revealed in the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s May 12th document that has been obtained by Bloomberg employing an open record request. In the previous assessment documents of September and October, the plans of SpaceX were described. SpaceX did not immediately respond to the emailed request for comment.
Musk, who is a fan of vertical integration, at one point in time had plans to drill wells at the launch site so that he could produce his natural gas that could be treated, super chilled into liquid form, and then used as rocket fuel. Although there are changes in plans, SpaceX has not stopped using natural gas. The company will continue using liquid methane as rocket fuel. As it appears likely, the company has already built a natural gas power plant in the production and manufacturing area, as per images received from the RGV Aerial Photography show. The site known as Starbase has continued to receive LNG tanker truck deliveries from Stabilis Solutions.
Bloomberg News reports that a coalition of community groups and environmentalists oppose SpaceX’s plans to expand at the Texas beach, where the Rio Grande usually empties into the Gulf of Mexico. A review of the company’s plans by the Federal Aviation Administration has twice been delayed, although the US Fish & Wildlife Service recommends several mitigation solutions in its biological assessment.
It included recruiting a qualified biologist that would keep a tab on birds and vegetation, operating employee shuttles between the nearby town of Brownsville and the shuttle facility, and adjusting lights so that the impact of the sea turtles. The recent report revealed that SpaceX provided an update related to its biological monitoring plans to the regulatory authorities.
