If you have a leader in the aerospace industry, that is SPACEX. The company’s crew dragon and the cargo dragon spacecraft is a reliable vehicle to deliver astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.
The NASA contract, awarded to SPACEX in 2030, is worth nearly $ 5 billion and includes research and development of Artemith missions to return astronauts to the month.
In the past decade, SpaceX has also emerged as a major vendor of the United States Defense, and has recently been a project of $ 733.5 million, which has recently launched a defense satellite network and contributed to other national security space goals. I have a contract.
As a human geographer, I am interested in how commercial spaces and defense companies will release and test the regional community.
For example, we spent more than two years in Kazakhstan to privatize the Soviet Space Program and the beginning of the global commercial space industry.
The influence of ELON MUSK and SPACEX
Politically, SPACEX is a great benefit for the United States.
As a US -based defense supplier and contractor, the company’s technology has helped to end almost two years of dependence on the Russian Federation for access to the International Space Station. ELON MUSK, a billionaire CEO, has even announced plans to colonize Mars.
The mask’s decision to spend $ 250 million in supporting Donald Trump winning in the 2024 presidential election is expected to lead to more support of SpaceX.
In the new administration, the mask is preparing for the government’s efficiency, leading a newly created advisory body, which can lead to his business profits and expand his ambitions.
Bokachika, Texas has a flagship assembly, test installation, and Starbase. Since 2021, I have been studying environmental organizations and community members of the Latin and indigenous people in southern Texas.
After seeing the development of Starbase since 2014, the locals are invisible to what will happen on the ground while the aerospace giant is shooting stars. I said not.
Destroy the eggs to make an omelet
Starbase is an industrial installation built by SPACEX, manufacturing and testing many companies’ rockets.
The area around it is a unique and delicate ecosystem that includes the estuary, coastal grasslands, and mud flatlands, with Falcon, Hawk, Raven, Gulls, and squealing birds live.
Since the construction has begun, SPACEX engineers have discharged the soil that has penetrated the water, leveled them, poured concrete, and launched ground tracking stations, assemblyville, engine test stand, and 500 feet (152 meters) launch tower. It was necessary to support the mixed on -site fuel. Storage.
In a long response to local environmental abuse of environmental groups, the company claims that it is concentrating on environmental management.
But rocket development is a dangerous and troublesome business. The site selected for this kind of work is remotely and highly installed, albeit not always.
The burning explosion on the ground and in the air is not unprecedented over the past few years. Scotland, China and Japanese rocket tests were all accidents.
In April 2023, one of SPACEX’s prototype Starship Rockets exploded in Mexico Bay immediately after the lift off.
This is not the only thing that the rocket exploded where SPACEX works.
SPACEX is growing compactly in a different area, but performs a growing operation. Hamlet was previously known as Kopernik Shores, but SPACEX purchased about 35 ranch houses in this area. Some residents have reported that the county will sell property for the non -optimal price following rumors that the county will seize housing using a prominent domain.
We talked to Rebekah Hinojosa, a local activist and a member of the Caliso Komekuldo tribe in Texas. For many locals, including Hinojosa, Musk seems to be very connected, and SpaceX seems to be insulated from public criticism.
At a press conference in 2018, Mr. Musk said, “We have a lot of lands around, so if it explodes, it’s cool.”
Change landscape
Installation of Star -based sizes does not prevent wildlife in the four different states surrounding them and the wildlife in the federal wildlife protection area.
Walking in the protected area may see RAP shots, rocket chassis segments, and random debris from other explosions. In other words, if someone else has not picked them up first.
In December 2022, I visited a gorgeous campsite near the star base. Various fragments of rocket fragments were displayed, and the entire site was called a souvenir in the new space era.
In the SPACEX, like NASA, the 2023 explosion was celebrated as an important step in the development of spacecraft rockets. This event has created valuable data on rocket performance. It rarely hurt the company’s reputation.
SpaceX in Texas has a great deal of support. The company promises to lead the high -tech industry to the country that ranks the poorest in the country.
SPACEX has created about 2,100 employment. However, reports have shown more personal interests on the ownership of real estate and the campaign budget, rather than the whole local economy, in the ownership of real estate and campaign budgets.
Laboratory near the community
At the end of the day, you need a place to test the design to develop a rocket.
“Our local beach is a laboratory,” said a local activist Hinojosa.
The indigenous ethnic group, the Latin, the Chikano, and the residents of protected organizations have appealed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Bureau, Federal Aviation Bureau, etc. to fight SPACEX.
These groups argue that SPACEX misunderstands Star and Federal regulatory authorities about Starbase’s duties. They claimed that they changed the frequency of starting the test and changed the frequency of building some new rocket -type facilities, which made the original environmental impact statement in this area incorrect. I am claiming.
Several important issues that these groups are fighting include bidding to expand the star -based area to more protected areas. Another issue is a flood system that creates tens of thousands of gallon toxic wastewater on a cool launch pad and rocket engine after testing.
The Texas Committee on the EPA and the environmental quality has notified SPACEX about violations of the Clean Water Law, but recent claimers argue that these institutions are not responsible for breaking the law. Masu. The company has denied fraud and argues on environmental harm.
“As we have established and developed new sites nationwide, we have always been working on relieving public safety and environment.” “The list of measures taken only for operation in Texas is more than 200 items, including certain monitoring and sampling of the short -term and long -term health between the local botanical phase and the animal phase. We are in the environment. The stories that are freely or rebelled from regulations are clearly wrong.
So what do you keep in the future? Many people in the Texas conservation agencies, active groups, and indigenous people want to drive the company. Considering the high general support for space exploration in the United States and the rapid growing friendship between Musk and Trump, it seems unlikely that SpaceX evacuation is likely.
It may not be necessary to have difficult negotiations that require a gift from each parties, but we hope that there is an intermediate area where space exploration and environmental protection can coexist somewhere.
This article is reissued from conversation under the Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.
Disclosure -An January 28, 2025 04:26 PM IST
