I live in Cape Canaveral. Less than 15 miles from what will eventually be the Starship’s launchpad.
It did not go unnoticed by residents here (along with members of our city council) that the test of a Starship in Texas blew up on the pad.
The straight-line (as-the-crow-flies) distance to my home is closer to 7.5–8 miles, as Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A is situated north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island. This estimate is based on the relative positions of the two locations, with my home in a residential area of Cape Canaveral and Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
Locals are justifiably concerned, with rocket ships getting larger and more volatile. Cracked foundations and walls, rattled and loosened windows, underground pipes facing damage from the percussion of a liftoff — successful or worse still, like you see above.
It’s already getting crowded in this beachside barrier island community, with tourists and space workers streaming in, filling 11 (yes, eleven!) newly built chain hotels within two years at the city’s north entry. Smart business people saw what was coming. “It’s turning into Ft. Lauderdale,” a friend observed, not intending it as a compliment.
Add rapid cruise industry growth and an avaricious Canaveral Port Authority that desires as many million$ as can be had from the ever-expanding port that already accommodates MEGA gargantuan cruise ships, taller than the roofline of Cape Canaveral, including the proliferating multi-story hotels.
Cape Canaveral was a poor man’s beach resort. A cheap but beautifully wild and scruffy place to hang out at the beach. “Poor man” is now a misnomer. The number of registered voters has diminished significantly, as hundreds of out-of-staters snag up worn beach cottages and mid-century block houses, renovating them into AirBNBs, squeezing hundreds of voting residents out of the city.
Anyway, back to the Starship explosion… we here in Cape Canaveral enjoy (get a thrill) watching the rockets pop up. Day or night, seeing Space X and NASA rockets launch is an amazing sight, even more so when the Falcon’s rockets return with a double sonic boom.
Space X Falcon 9 soaring into the night sky, viewed at the end of my street from my screen porch, Sept. 19, 2023
But there’s a reality that needs to be addressed, and that is the safety of the folks who pay taxes for the privilege of living here.
Much has been written about how the residents in Texas feel about having SpaceX in their backyards. Or having their homes sold out from underneath them to make room for the SpaceX employees.
For example…
https://radiopatriot.net/2024/10/12/our-windows-might-rattle-right-out-of-their-frames/
City officials are justifiably concerned so they contracted with nearby Florida Tech (Florida Institute of Technology) to undertake a survey of current infrastructure conditions as well as air quality during launches.
However, city officials were notified today by letter that FIT is giving a 30-day notice to end the contract due to “politics.” Their words, not mine.
FIT is closely aligned with NASA and the space program, and evidently does not want to offend if a current survey shows deleterious effects on our well-being and our residences from rapidly increasing tempo of rocket launches and the future Starship.
Read The Atlantic article in “Heading Our Way?” (above) to see how thrilled, proud, and excited the residents of Boca Chica TX were when Space X came to town. And how it didn’t take long for that excitement to sour.
We’re keeping a watchful eye on this one, but it’s going to be a helluva fight.
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