Wildlife Protections Take A Back Seat To Elon Musk's Ambitions

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A New York Times investigation found that Elon Musk exploited federal agencies' competing missions to achieve his goals for space travel.

Starship, the upper stage of SpaceX's new rocket, at its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas. Conservationists are concerned with the environmental impact space operations have on the area. Credit...

As Elon Musk's Starship — the largest rocket ever manufactured — successfully blasted toward the sky last month, the launch was hailed as a giant leap for SpaceX and the United States' civilian space program.

Two hours later, once conditions were deemed safe, a team from SpaceX, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a conservation group began canvassing the fragile migratory bird habitat surrounding the launch site.

The launch had unleashed an enormous burst of mud, stones and fiery debris across the public lands encircling Mr. Musk's $3 billion space compound. Chunks of sheet metal and insulation were strewn across the sand flats on one side of a state park. Elsewhere, a small fire had ignited, leaving a charred patch of park grasslands — remnants from the blastoff that burned 7.5 million pounds of fuel.

"The nests have all been messed up or have eggs missing," Justin LeClaire, a Coastal Bend wildlife biologist, told a Fish and Wildlife inspector as a New York Times reporter observed nearby.

On at least 19 occasions since 2019, SpaceX operations have caused fires , leaks , explosions or other problems associated with the rapid growth of Mr. Musk's complex in Boca Chica. These incidents have caused environmental damage and reflect a broader debate over how to balance technological and economic progress against protections of delicate ecosystems and local communities.

That natural tension is heightened by Mr. Musk's influence over American space aspirations. Members of Congress and senior officials in the Biden administration have fretted privately and publicly about the extent of Mr. Musk's power as the U.S. government increasingly relies on SpaceX for commercial space operations and for its plans to travel to the moon and even Mars.