ACTION ALERT:  
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing SpaceX’s request for new launch and reentry flight paths that would see its upper-stage Starship rocket crossing over Florida as it makes its way toward space and eventually return for a landing at the company’s Boca Chica launch mount in Texas.

The effect of these over-Florida flights would be non-trivial for commercial airlines. “The launch and Super Heavy booster landing AHAs [Aircraft Hazard Area] could affect a minimum of 10 commercial aircraft per hour, during the lowest period of midnight hours, or up to a maximum of 200 commercial aircraft per hour, during peak daily travel periods,” according to the FAA’s assessment. The plan assumes as many as 22 Starship launches per year.

A number of Starship’s test flights have ended with the rocket breaking apart and raining debris on parts of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In June, Mexico threatened to sue over possible contamination from SpaceX’s rocket launches that sometimes rain bits of debris across the nearby border. Local conservation groups in Boca Chica have also criticized SpaceX, arguing that the Starship rocket poses a threat to the surrounding wildlife habitat.

ZOOM MEETING CANCELED DUE TO FEDERAL SHUTDOWN: The FAA will hold a virtual public meeting on the Draft Tiered EA on October 7, 2025, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. ET. Interested parties must register to join the virtual public meeting. Registration is now available at the link Webinar Registration - Zoom, 
Dial-in phone number: 888-788-0099 (Toll Free), Webinar ID: 839 4907 3824, Passcode: 872427.

The public comment period for the Draft Tiered EA will close on October 20, 2025.

Submit comments under Docket No. FAA-2025-3124 electronically at Regulations.gov or by postal mail to Ms. Amy Hanson, FAA Environmental Protection Specialist, c/o ICF, 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston, VA 20190.

Here's a sample comment:

✉️ Public Comment on Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Starship Trajectories
I am writing to oppose the inclusion of proposed Starship flight paths that would pass over North Central Florida. This region is far from uninhabited—it includes the University of Florida, the City of Gainesville, and numerous communities situated directly atop the Floridan Aquifer recharge zone. A Starship anomaly, breakup, or propellant release over this inland area could threaten public safety, contaminate aquifer-fed springs, and cause widespread damage from debris or sonic booms. The Draft EA fails to include a meaningful risk analysis or emergency preparedness plan for inland counties, assuming “negligible risk” without supporting data.

The FAA must fully evaluate the hazards of routing massive, methane-fueled launch vehicles over populated areas and sensitive water resources. This requires consultation with local emergency agencies, hydrological modeling for contamination risks, and public disclosure of population exposure maps. Until these analyses are completed and alternative, ocean-based trajectories are considered, the Draft EA should not advance to a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or any launch authorization.