Despite Years of Operations, More Hearings Required For Updated Programs

The FAA will hold a virtual public meeting to receive public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Titusville, Fla. The meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, from 5 to 7 p.m. EST.

Virtual meeting instructions will be posted by Nov. 30, 2020.

Space Florida, a state-chartered spaceport authority, currently holds a Launch Site Operator License to operate the SLF. It now intends to apply to the FAA for a Reentry Site Operator License (RSOL) to offer the SLF to commercial space operators and proposes to support up to a total of 17 reentry landings over the next five years (2021-2025).

Issuing the RSOL is subject to environmental review under National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The draft EA for this project is subject to the FAA’s evaluation and approval.

During this virtual public meeting, Space Florida will provide information on its proposed project, FAA will provide a licensing and EA overview, and members of the public can provide oral comments.

The deadline for public comments is Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. Comments should be mailed to Stacey Zee, SLF PEA, c/o ICF, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031. Comments may also be submitted via email to slfproject@icf.com. Commenters may use this form: SLF Reentry EA Comment Form.

The completion of the environmental review process does not guarantee that the FAA will issue a RSOL to Space Florida. The Proposed Action must also meet FAA safety, risk, and financial responsibility requirements.

FMI: www.faa.gov/space/environmental