Rene Oliveira's SpaceX Bill Allows Boca Chica to Be Closed Holidays

State Representative Rene Oliveira

A careful reading of State Representative Rene Oliveira's pending House Bill 2623, authorizing certain counties and the General Land Office to close beaches and/or beach access points during "space launch activities," indicates that what that bill actually states has been misrepresented somewhat in the media and by local politicos.

For example, Laura B. Martinez, a Brownsville Herald reporter, stated in an article published April 9:  "According to the bill, it would not allow the beach to be closed during the holidays or during weekends in the summer. The only exception to those days would be if SpaceX has to scrub a launch and can show “it stands to suffer significant adverse business consequences” if it doesn’t launch, officials said."

The bill does prohibit launches on summer weekends, but does so in a very convoluted way.  There are to be no launches on "the Saturday or Sunday preceding Memorial Day, a Saturday after Memorial Day but before Labor Day, a Sunday after Memorial Day but before Labor Day."   Launches are also prohibited on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.

The Herald article mentions one exception to the above:  "SpaceX has to scrub a launch and can show 'it stands to suffer significant adverse business consequences' if it doesn’t launch."  There are actually two other reasons for launching on one of the normally prohibited days not mentioned in the article:  1. Technical requirements. 2. Significant adverse business consequences 3. Regulatory requirements.

Boca Chica Beach

The condition involving "technical requirements" seems to give SpaceX great latitude.  All of us who have followed the launches at Cape Canaveral recognize that atmospheric conditions or weather can factor in.  Of course, weather conditions may be difficult to predict with the required time frame for getting permission from the county commissioners for a launch.  For weekday, non-holiday launches, SpaceX must give the commissioners at least 2 weeks notice.  To launch on a holiday or summer weekend, the company must give at least 4 weeks notice.  So, in actuality, summer weekend or holiday launches are not prohibited, just more difficult to gain approval.

Representative Oliveira is credited in the Herald article with saying that beach closures will not exceed 15 hours, but there is nothing in his bill that indicates that.

While SpaceX considers Boca Chica along with Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico to launch rockets carrying commercial cargo, Houston is moving ahead to develop an actual spaceport to transport passengers.  The Slashdot Website offers this quote:
"The Lone Star State is moving to become a leader in spaceport development. The Houston Airport System is officially moving ahead with plans to turn Ellington Airport, near NASA's Johnson Space Center, into an FAA-licensed commercial spaceport. The airport system has completed a feasibility study for turning the field into a spaceport for suborbital spacecraft such as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two andXCOR's Lynx. In the longer term, spacecraft could link Houston to Singapore in as little as three hours, according to airport system director Mario Diaz."