FAA to review environmental impact of Amazon drone hub and SpaceX Starship expansion

Amazon drone hub request

Four Democratic lawmakers sent separate letters to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy requesting a site‑specific environmental assessment before the Amazon Prime Air drone hub in Westborough, Massachusetts operates. The letters asked for written responses by Oct. 29 and cited a local survey in which 92% of more than 1,200 respondents opposed the facility. The lawmakers also referenced concerns about lithium‑ion battery fires, mentioning a 2025 Amazon drone collision in Arizona. The FAA indicated it will respond to the request for a new site‑specific review. Amazon has not commented, according to Quiver Quantitative.

A coalition of 15 states and Harris County, Texas filed a lawsuit in September challenging the FAA’s nationwide environmental review that allows qualifying drone operators to launch fleets without site‑specific analyses, while drone deliveries operate under waivers in several states.

SpaceX Starship review

The FAA plans to prepare an environmental impact statement and hold public meetings on SpaceX’s proposal to increase Starship launches and landings at its Starbase facility in South Texas. The agency has scheduled public meetings for Nov. 17‑19 and the public scoping period closes Nov.

SpaceX is currently authorized to conduct up to 25 launches and 50 landings per year from Starbase. The company’s proposal sets two phases: an initial phase of up to 100 launches and 200 landings annually, followed by a later phase of up to 456 launches and 912 landings annually, with the later‑phase launches limited to weekdays.

SpaceX is proposing to perform as many as 456 launches and 912 landings each year at its Texas facility. The company recently announced an intent to invest as much as $100 billion to build a massive launch site in southern Louisiana to support rapid Starship launches.