Florida’s Space Industry Is Confronting Very Earthly Worries

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Development is booming in Florida’s Space Coast, the heart of America’s space industry. But environmental groups and commercial fishers say ecosystems and fishing businesses are suffering amid the nation’s astral ambitions.

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.

Environmentalists additionally worry that deafening sonic booms — which are expected to get louder and more frequent — will harm wildlife and bother nearby residents. SpaceX, which accounted for the vast majority of Florida’s 109 launches in 2025, has already received federal environmental approval to launch its largest and loudest rocket yet in Florida.

Federal regulators estimate the project, dubbed Starship-Super Heavy, has a sonic boom that could be heard at 110 decibels — as loud as a rock concert — over much of Merritt Island.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

The company has faced intense backlash for the environmental impacts of its Starship tests in Texas, a history that concerns Jim Moir, executive director of the Indian Riverkeeper, an environmental group focusing on the Indian River Lagoon.

“I don't know that that's going to be the outcome for Cape Canaveral National Seashore,” Moir said. “I do know that sea turtles don't enjoy being rumbled with rockets.”

The Indian River Lagoon has already been degraded by algal blooms and poor water quality — so much so that local residents have raised millions of dollars to restore it. Scientists and environmentalists say the space industry has played a role in the lagoon’s decline.

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.

Environmental groups want space companies to recycle their wastewater through closed-loop systems to reduce pollution, technology that’s attainable, said Charles Venuto, president of the Merritt Island Wildlife Association.

Venuto, who spent decades working as an environmental scientist at Kennedy Space Center, said Cape Canaveral has always had to deal with environmental issues. As the industry expands at the behest of founders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, space companies are at an “important juncture,” Venuto said.

“That’s this choice that they can make,” he said. “I hope that they take the right path and leave a legacy because I don’t want this to be a playground for billionaires to launch rockets.”

Avoiding rocket launches has always been part of the job for those in the Space Coast commercial fishing industry. During a launch, the Coast Guard shuts down a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean near the launch site for up to several hours at a time. The safety measures cut commercial fishers off from prime fishing grounds and often prevent boats from entering or leaving Port Canaveral.

Historically, the closures were few and far between. Now, the Coast Guard shuts down the area weekly. John DeVane, a local mackerel fisherman, says the shutdowns impact about half of his fishing days — a significant income loss.

“I’m not trying to say anything bad about the rocket industry, because I know it’s a part of technology, and we depend on all that,” DeVane said. “But in a way, it’s like, wow. We’re like the little man, and we’re just getting totally pushed out by these multibillion-dollar industries that are coming along.”

Fishers say they don’t want to halt the space industry’s progress — they just want to be compensated for the money they’re losing. Fishing groups are hoping to get commercial space companies, as well as state and federal legislators, to consider a relief fund.

State Rep. Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island) said he was reluctant to support a fund, but said fishermen should be allowed to operate in restricted areas during a launch, as long as they’re willing to assume the risks.

“If there’s a way that we could work with the range safety folks and these different companies to allow the commercial fishing industry to continue operations, I’m all for that,” he said.

Some fishermen are on board with the idea, and are willing to accept certain dangers — like falling space debris — as long as they can fish. But others, like Alexis Meschelle, executive director of Organized Fishermen of Florida, said it’s "nefarious" to ask fishermen to choose between losing income and putting their safety at risk.

Port closures aside, Space Coast fishers are worried about the impact space companies could have on ocean ecosystems and the health of their fishery.

“It's literally this huge ripple effect that really no one's taking into consideration,” Meschelle said. “The future of commercial fishing on the East Coast is going to become nonexistent if we can't figure this out.”