SpaceX’s FAA Approval of Starbase Upheld in Environmental Suit

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. will continue to use its private launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, after environmental groups failed to overturn the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia demonstrated the judicial restraint ordered by the US Supreme Court last term for such National Environmental Policy Act cases. The partial summary judgment filed Monday deferred to the FAA’s technical expertise in accepting the company’s environmental assessment findings on light pollution, noise levels, and restricted public access to the surrounding wildlife refuge.

The agency had the discretion to conduct an independent evaluation of SpaceX’s Programmatic ...