Acid Wastewater, Algae Blooms, Fishery Closures, Sonic Booms - FL Pays The Price For Launching Penis Rockets, Satellites

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The number of annual launches in Florida has more than tripled in the last five years, and the space industry’s biggest players are expected to increase their launch cadence. More rockets launching from Kennedy Space Center in central Florida may also mean more noise, port closures, air and water pollution, ocean acidification, and falling space debris — repercussions space companies and some Florida GOP lawmakers are asking locals to accept as a part of life on the Space Coast. “Everybody thinks, ‘OK, we’re going to Mars, we’re going to the moon,’” said Bob Zales, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. “They don’t really think about the impact to the environment and to the people that live and work over there.”

At Kennedy Space Center, the environmental stakes are high. The complex sits inside of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian River Lagoon system. The region is an eco-tourism hot spot and houses some of Florida’s most treasured species, including manatees, dolphins, whales, sea turtles and shorebirds. Stormwater runoff, fertilizer and septic tanks have already polluted areas of the Space Coast, causing massive seagrass die-offs, killing wildlife and fouling water — problems that could worsen as launches increase. Rocket exhaust, a gaseous cocktail that includes nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide, degrades air quality and can return to Earth as acid rain. Metals like arsenic, lithium and iron, commonly used in space technology, can accumulate in waterways and wildlife and have been found in elevated levels on Merritt Island.

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Blue Origin, another industry giant, is seeking to renew a permit allowing the company to discharge up to 490,000 gallons of water per day into a stormwater pond on its Merritt Island facility. The wastewater may indirectly flow into the Indian River Lagoon, according to Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection. The EPA has dinged Blue Origin for discharging acidic water from its facility or for not complying with monitoring requirements, according to the agency’s compliance database. Water samples showed acidity levels — which the EPA said should be between six and nine — as low as 3.8. Acidity aside, too much freshwater flowing into the lagoon — which must maintain a careful balance of salinity — can kill plants and animals. “That’s pretty much going to nuke the shells of your clams and oysters,” said Laura Wilson, the executive director of the Marine Resources Council, an environmental organization that focuses on protecting the lagoon.

State Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R-Melbourne) said she’s concerned about wastewater harming the lagoon, but she’s confident Blue Origin and other space companies are committed to environmental protection. “We have to live together,” she said. “The environmental issues have to come as part of the forefront.” Blue Origin declined to comment.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/florida-space-industry-worries-00785943