The U.S. Air Force has abandoned plans to test hypersonic rocket cargo deliveries from a remote Pacific atoll using Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a U.S. military publication has reported.
The decision was made after Reuters reported that experts were concerned the project, which would be based on the remote Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, would harm the seabirds that nest on the islands.
In response to that report, the Air Force had said it would conduct an environmental assessment, but is now instead exploring alternative locations for the program, a spokesperson told Stars and Stripes. A petition calling for the Air Force to abandon its plan had garnered more than 3,800 signatures by Wednesday.
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The proposed program involves test-landing rocket re-entry vehicles that are designed to deliver up to 100 tons of cargo anywhere on Earth within 90 minutes. The program would use commercial rockets, including those made by SpaceX, though no formal announcements regarding industry partners have been made.
The program would allow the military to deliver supplies rapidly to any corner of the globe, with the Air Force noting that “current military modes of transportation require days to weeks of planning and logistics to provide material to distant locations at the time and place of need.”
Johnston Atoll, an unincorporated U.S. territory some 800 miles southwest of Hawaii, is closed to the public, and is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Air Force. It is designated as a National Wildlife Refuge and is home to 14 species of tropical birds.
SpaceX has previously come under fire from conservation groups for its impact on the environment, with groups suing the FAA in May challenging its decision to approve expanded rocket launch operations in South Texas without conducting further environmental studies—despite the site’s location next to a national wildlife refuge.
One rocket launch in Boca Chica, Texas, last year destroyed the nests and eggs of plover shorebirds, leading Musk to joke that he would abstain from eating omelets for a week to make up for the damage caused.
