SpaceX proposes to conduct Starship/Super Heavy launch operations from the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. SpaceX must apply for and obtain an experimental permit(s) and/or a vehicle operator license from the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation to operate the Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle. The FAA's evaluation of a permit or license application includes a review of 1) public safety issues (such as overflight of populated areas and payload contents); 2) national security or foreign policy concerns; 3) insurance requirements for the launch operator; and 4) potential environmental impact. Read more about the history of the Boca Chica launch site and the location of the launch site.
The Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984, as amended and codified at 51 U.S.C. 50901-50923, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to oversee, license, and regulate commercial launch and reentry activities, and the operation of launch and reentry sites within the United States or as carried out by U.S. citizens. Section 50905 directs the Secretary to exercise this responsibility consistent with public health and safety, safety of property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. In addition, Section 50903 requires the Secretary to encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector. As codified at 49 CFR 1.83(b), the Secretary has delegated authority to carry out these functions to the FAA Administrator.
Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a commercial space transportation company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX developed the Falcon 1 (no longer operational), Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy vertical orbital launch vehicles, all of which were built with the goal of becoming reusable launch vehicles. SpaceX launches commercial and government payloads, including the Dragon spacecraft, which was recently used to send NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and bring them back to Earth. SpaceX is currently developing a new rocket, Starship/Super Heavy, with the goal of traveling to Mars. For additional information on SpaceX, please visit spacex.com.
The FAA is announcing the availability of the Final Tiered Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD) for the SpaceX Starship Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Landings Final Tiered EA and FONSI/ROD. The FAA is the lead agency on this Final Tiered EA.
The electronic versions of the Final Tiered EA and FONSI/ROD are available on this website for download.
FAA will provide language interpretation services upon request. Please email spacexb...@icf.com to request services.
La FAA proporcionar servicios de interpretacin de idiomas a solicitud. Por favor, enve un correo electrnico a spacexb...@icf.com para solicitar los servicios.
The FAA published the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (Final PEA) and Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (Mitigated FONSI/ROD) for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas (PEA) on June 13, 2022. The documentation is available for download below.
The FAA determined that the Proposed Action would not result in significant environmental consequences and has issued a Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD). The Mitigated FONSI/ROD is available above. Required mitigation measures are listed throughout Chapter 3 of the final PEA. Should any future license or permit be issued to SpaceX to perform any aspect of the Proposed Action, the FAA will ensure that SpaceX implements these mitigation measures as conditions for licensure.
As part of the Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation process, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a Biological Opinion (BO), which concludes the Proposed Action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally listed species or adversely modify designated critical habitat. The BO is included in PEA Appendix D and available here (PDF).
As part of the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 consultation process, the FAA, Texas State Historic Preservation Officer, National Park Service, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, SpaceX, USFWS, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executed a Programmatic Agreement (PA). The PA outlines the measures to resolve adverse effects of the Proposed Action on historic properties. The PA is included in PEA Appendix C and available here (PDF).
The FAA published the draft PEA on September 17, 2021. The original comment period was from September 17, 2021 through October 18, 2021. In response to public requests, the FAA extended the comment period to November 1, 2021. The FAA held two virtual public hearings to solicit comments from the public concerning the scope and content of the draft PEA. The hearings were held October 18 and October 20, 2021. The comments can be found on this page. The PEA was revised based on public comments, and the final PEA includes responses to comments (see final PEA Appendix I).
Survivor is one of my favorite TV shows and Jo and I have watched every season. We've both always thought it would be so fun to get to participate in the show's challenges, as long as we didn't have to go through the days of near starvation and heat the the castaways usually do! We decided to host our own Survivor-like event this summer during our yearly beach vacation in Sanibel, Florida. Since the Amazing Race we put on last year was so much fun, we knew we wanted to do something similar this year, and Survivor was just the ticket.
Before you start working with the fabric, take note of which direction it stretches in. One way will stretch far better than the other, and you want that easy-stretching direction to go left to right on your workspace.
Now you need to cut a rectangle out of your fabric, and the size will depend on how stretchy your fabric is. I cut mine to 20" wide and 18" tall, but you may need to adjust those measurements with your fabric. You need it to be big enough to stretch around a person's head comfortably, so do some experimenting to get the right size for your particular fabric.
Use the sewing machine to sew the side seam with a row of zigzag stitches. Make sure you use a zigzag stitch instead of a straight stitch, or else the seam won't stretch after it's sewn.
The other thing we needed for the tribes to show their identities was a pair of tribe flags. While the flags on the TV show are usually horizontal and hung between two poles, we felt that would not be easy to move around. We opted to follow tradition from some of the earlier seasons and make a vertical flag on a single pole so that a member of each tribe could carry it to challenges and stab it into the sand.
First, the hardware: to make two flags, you'll need four 3/4" wooden dowel rods that are about 30" long, two 1"x2" wooden stakes that are 6' long, and two 3" machine screws with wingnuts. Use a saw to cut the ends of the stakes at a sharp angle so that they'll be easier to stick into the sand/dirt.
Then it's back inside to the craft room to work on the flag. You can use any material you have handy in your tribe colors, but for durability and weather-resistance, we opted to use lightweight red rip stop nylon and blue rip stop nylon. Cut a piece of each color that's 24" wide and about 52" long.
With the flag fabric ready, it's now time to decorate it! I started by using my Silhouette electronic cutting machine to cut out letters that spell our tribe names. I positioned all the pieces on the flag and then used a hot glue gun to glue them in place.
Put the screw through both holes and secure it on the back with the wingnut. The reason I used a wingnut here is so that it would be easy to assemble and disassemble the flag by hand (no tools needed) when we're out on the beach doing out challenges. It will also make it a lot easier to transport the flags down to Florida!
Slip the remaining dowel rod into the pocket on the bottom of the flag, which will give the flag some weight and allow it to hang straight, even in a breeze. The finished flags are easy to carry and can be stuck into the ground or sand easily, too.
Be sure to check out our complete How to Host a Survivor Party post for more details about the rest of the elements of our DIY Survivor event, including Tribal Council, immunity idols, and challenges!
I am also a Survivor fan. I have to say Rupert was my all time favorite even though he didn't win.He won Americas heart though. Enough said about that. I love love love your Survivor idea for vacation. I can hardly wait to see what else you come up with for it. Y'all are going to have so much fun and I hope you post pictures of your experiences. Best of luck to all participants.
My husband is a teacher and the school provides him with a space to hang a flag outside his classroom door. He has been upset all last year because he did not have a flag and could not find a flag he liked that was the right size. I had thought of making him one, but didn't think I had enough skill. It never occurred to me to hot glue a logo! How does it look on the reverse side? Would I need to do something to make it look better? Maybe I could print two logos and put one on either side... Any suggestions?
Melly, our flags look perfectly fine on the back, but I'm sure that will vary with the type of fabric you use. We tested several different methods before settling on hot glue, including sticker paper and spray adhesive, but the glue worked the best for us. Just test on a scrap of fabric first to make sure you get results you are happy with!
Thank you so much for posting your party ideas! Last year my daughter wanted an Amazing Race party and I was able to make the clues using your templates. This year she wanted a Survivor Party and I found you again when it came time to make the buffs!
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