An environmental study of how a proposed launch complex would affect part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge formally began Monday with the search for a contractor to perform the review.
Space Florida sought credentials from environmental firms that will be ranked and overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which licenses spaceports.
Work is expected to start this fall on an environmental impact statement considering at least four options, each totaling up to 200 acres, where one or two launch pads could be developed on NASA property near the Brevard-Volusia border.
The site is an attempt to attract commercial launches by SpaceX and other companies considering alternatives in other states, including Texas and Georgia, where similar environmental studies are in progress.
Written by
James Dean
FLORIDA TODAY
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