NEPA Documents

Environmental Documents in Progress and Completed

Complete:  Adoption of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision for Falcon 9 Cadence Increase at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

The FAA is announcing the Adoption of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD) for Falcon 9 Cadence Increase at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) was the lead federal agency, and the FAA was a cooperating agency.

An electronic version of the FONSI/ROD is available on this website for download. 

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Final EA, the FAA would:

  • Issue a license modification to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) to increase Falcon 9 annual launch cadence from 36 to 50 launches per year at Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) at Vandenburg Space Force Base (VSFB).

The Final EA evaluated the potential environmental impacts of increasing the annual launch cadence, increasing Falcon 9 first stage and fairing recovery activities, and expanding the recovery area in the Pacific Ocean.

Draft EA Public Review and Comment Period

The DAF published the draft EA and draft FONSI on September 17, 2024 for public review and comment. The public comment period ended on October 17, 2024. The DAF considered all public comments when preparing the final EA.

Complete: Environmental Assessment for Reentry, Splashdown, and Recovery Operations of an Inversion Space Company Capsule within the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of Central California

The FAA is announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision for the Reentry, Splashdown, and Recovery (RSR) Operations of an Inversion Space Company (Inversion) Capsule within the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of Central California (Final EA and FONSI/ROD). The FAA is the lead agency and the Department of the Air Force (DAF),and the U.S. Coast Guard are cooperating agencies. 

An electronic version of the Final EA and FONSI/ROD is available on this website for download. 

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Final EA, the FAA would:

  • Issue a Vehicle Operator License to Inversion to conduct two reentry, splashdown, and recovery operations within the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central California, along with potential future renewals or modifications to the Vehicle Operator License within the scope of operations analyzed in the EA. 

The Final EA evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the RSR operations of a small, approximately 20.5-inch diameter, aluminum capsule by Inversion. The Proposed Action is to conduct RSR operations within the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central California.

Draft EA Public Review and Comment Period

The FAA released the Draft EA for public review and comment on June 4, 2024. The public comment period closed on July 5, 2024. The FAA invited interested government agencies, organizations, Native American Tribes, and members of the public to submit comments on any aspect of the Draft EA. All comments received during the comment period were given equal weight and taken into consideration in the preparation of the Final EA.

Complete: Environmental Assessment for Reentry, Landing, and Recovery Operations of a Varda Space Industries Capsule within Utah Test and Training Range South or Northern Dugway Proving Ground, Utah

The FAA has released the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision for the Reentry, Landing, and Recovery Operations of a Varda Space Industries Capsule within Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) South or Northern Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah (Final EA and FONSI/ROD) An electronic version of the Final EA and FONSI/ROD is available on this website for download.

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Environmental Assessment (EA), FAA would

  • Issue a Vehicle Operator License to Varda for capsule RLR operations at UTTR South or Northern DPG for a single reentry mission.

The FAA released the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Reentry, Landing, and Recovery (RLR) Operations of a Varda Space Industries, Inc. (Varda) Capsule within Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) South or Northern Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah (Draft EA) for public review and comment on March 29, 2023. The public comment period closed on April 27, 2023.

Complete: Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Launch Licenses at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida

The FAA is announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the SpaceX Launch Licenses at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida (Final EA and FONSI). The electronic version of the Final EA and FONSI is available on this website for download.

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Environmental Assessment (EA), FAA would:

  • Issue launch licenses to SpaceX for the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Launch Complex 40 (LC-40).
  • Issue reentry licenses to SpaceX for the Dragon vehicle.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Falcon Launches at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) (Draft EA) for public review. SpaceX is applying to FAA for launch licenses to launch the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy from KSC Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) and CCAFS Launch Complex 40 (LC-40). SpaceX is also appled to FAA for reentry licenses for Dragon reentry operations. Public comments on the Draft EA were due by March 20, 2020.

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Complete: Space Coast Air and Spaceport Environmental Assessment

The FAA is announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority (TCAA) Launch Site Operator License (Final EA and FONSI). An electronic version of the Final EA and FONSI is available on this website for download.

TCAA applied for a launch site operator license to operate a commercial space launch site at the Space Coast Regional Airport (TIX), in Brevard County, Florida. TCAA would offer the site to one or more commercial launch operators for horizontal reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). Under the Proposed Action addressed in this EA, the FAA would:

  • Issue a Launch Site Operator License to TCAA for the operation of a commercial space launch site at TIX and
  • Unconditionally approve the updated Airport Layout Plan (ALP) that shows the designation of the launch site boundary and existing and planned launch site infrastructure.

The FAA issues separate licenses for the operation of launch vehicles. Additional environmental analysis will be required for future vehicle operators. When a launch operator applies to the FAA for a license to operate at TIX, the FAA will develop a separate EA that will include a public notification and public review period.

The FAA released the Draft EA for public comment on December 19, 2019. A public meeting was held on January 8, 2020. The comment period ended January 17, 2020. As a result of the comments received, the FAA made minor revisions to the EA. Appendix I includes copies of the comments received and a summary of FAA's responses.

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FAA Launch Site Operator License

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FAA Launch Operator License

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Experimental Permits

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Last updated: Wednesday, April 2, 2025