Spaceport Camden Environmental Impact Statement
The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts that may result from the Camden County Board of Commissioners’ (the County) proposal to develop Spaceport Camden as a commercial space launch site. The County has applied to the FAA for a launch site operator license.
The Final EIS addresses the County's proposed launch site operations based on a conceptual launch vehicle. The FAA will perform additional NEPA analyses for any future launch vehicle operators seeking to operate from Spaceport Camden. This additional analysis would address the potential impacts of the launch of their specific vehicles.
Requests for information regarding the Final EIS should be directed to: spaceportcamdeneis@icf.com.
Final EIS – Spaceport Camden
A copy of the Final EIS is available here for download.
- Volume I – Full version: Executive Summary and Chapters 1-11,
June 2021 (PDF) - Volume II – Appendix A Part 1 (Scoping, Public Agency), June
2021 (PDF) - Volume II – Appendix A Part 2 (Comments-Responses-Notices),
June 2021 (PDF) - Volume II – Appendix A Part 3 (Notices-Consultations), June
2021 (PDF) - Volume II – Appendix A Part 4 (Consultations), June 2021 (PDF)
- Volume II – Appendix B-J, May 2021 (PDF)
A paper copy and an electronic version of the Final EIS may be reviewed during regular business hours at the following locations:
- Camden County Public Library at 1410 Georgia Highway 40, Kingsland, GA 31548
- St. Marys Public Library at 100 Herb Bauer Drive, St. Marys, GA 31558
- Brunswick-Glynn County Library at 208 Gloucester Street, Brunswick, GA 31520
- St. Simons Island Public Library at 530A Beachview Drive, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
- Woodbine Public Library at 103 East 8th Street, Woodbine, GA 31569
Record of Decision
The FAA is announcing the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final EIS. The FAA prepared the Final EIS and ROD to evaluate the potential impacts of the FAA issuing a Launch Site Operator License that would allow the Camden County Board of Commissioners (the County) to operate a commercial space launch site called Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Georgia.
The license issued to the County authorizes the operation of a launch site at Spaceport Camden; it does not authorize FAA-licensed or permitted launches, which require separate authorizations from the FAA. Should an operator apply to launch from Spaceport Camden, a separate vehicle operator license and environmental review (i.e. an Environmental Assessment or EIS) would be required.
Programmatic Agreement
The FAA developed a Programmatic Agreement (PA) between the FAA, the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) regarding the construction and operation of the Spaceport. The PA outlines the process to resolve potential adverse effects of the Proposed Action on historic properties. The PA was fully executed and became effective on December 14, 2021.
The PA is available here (PDF).
Background
The Spaceport Camden Draft EIS was published for public review and comment on March 8, 2018. Two public hearings were held on April 11 and 12, 2018. The public comment period closed on June 14, 2018. The FAA received over 15,500 comments, the large majority of which were form letters sent by three different organizations. All comments received during the comment period were considered in the preparation of the Final EIS.
On January 15, 2020, the County submitted an amended application in which the scope of the project was constrained to small launch vehicles only. Analyses in the Final EIS focus only on small launch capability.