Science
US government set to transfer large tract of nature reserve land to Starbase
Key Points
SpaceX is set to launch a record-breaking IPO on Friday. But it's the company's rocket launches that are concerning critics in its home state of Texas. The US government is set to give SpaceX some 280 hectares of land that are currently part of a wildlife refuge near its Starbase facility in South Texas, in exchange for land the company owns farther north.
SpaceX is set to launch a record-breaking IPO on Friday. But it's the company's rocket launches that are concerning critics in its home state of Texas. The US government is set to give SpaceX some 280 hectares of land that are currently part of a wildlife refuge near its Starbase facility in South Texas, in exchange for land the company owns farther north. Environmental groups are suing to stop the swap – saying Starbase's expansion threatens both biodiversity and local communities' beach access.