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After spending nearly 10 years and $10 million, Camden County now has a final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed commercial spaceport it hopes to develop at the east end of Harrietts Bluff.
After a series of delays this spring, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Thursday, June 17, that it had issued the final report, which is posted online at https://tinyurl.com/43dphb7x.
The EIS is a critical component in getting a vertical launch site operator license, which also includes a review of the policy, safety and launch site location. The FAA’s record of decision on the license is expected soon, according to the FAA website.
“The FAA intends to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) in July 2021. In the meantime, the FAA will continue consultation with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies,” it stated.
The FAA received thousands of questions and comments from the public since the EIS was launched in 2015. Although the FAA is not required to answer comments made by the public on the final EIS, those comments will be incorporated into the administrative record and are considered during the decision-making process.
“The final EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts that may result from the FAA’s proposed action of issuing a Launch Site Operator License to the county, which would allow the county to offer Spaceport Camden to commercial launch operators to conduct launches of liquid-fueled, small, orbital, vertical-launch vehicles on a site the county would purchase for the spaceport. Development of the launch site includes construction of supporting building and infrastructure. Operations would include up to 12 vertical launches, up to 12 wet dress rehearsals and up to 12 static fire engine tests per year,” states the FAA in the final EIS.
The county changes three specifications in its application in January 2020:
• Change from medium-large to small launch vehicles.
• Removal of first stage returns and ocean landings, which are not necessary with smaller, more expendable rockets.
• Change from 83- to 115-degree trajectory to a single 100-degree trajectory.
The county only has to demonstrate one trajectory to acquire a launch site operator license, but individual launches could deviate from that trajectory. In addition to the site, the FAA must license each individual launch depending on its unique specifications.
“FAA made its decision to prepare a Final EIS, rather than a supplemental of revised draft EIS, in part based on its belief that the modifications to the (application) were not substantial in the context of presenting new or additional potential impacts beyond the scope already addressed in the draft EIS,” stated the executive summary of the final EIS.
Daniel P. Murray, executive director of the FAA’s Office of Operational Safety who is quoted in the report, said the proposed action represented by the county’s application was the “preferred alternative,” which means the contents of the EIS would not prevent the issuance of a launch site operator license.