Rocket Cargo Plan Poses Threat to Johnston Atoll's Seabirds

SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force are planning a rocket cargo delivery test on Johnston Atoll, raising concerns among biologists about potential harm to seabird populations. The project, enabling speedy global cargo transport, could impact the island's fragile ecosystem, protected under U.S. and international wildlife regulations.

Elon Musk's SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force have proposed a project that may jeopardize seabird populations on Johnston Atoll, a remote Pacific site designated as a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge. The initiative aims to test hypersonic rocket cargo deliveries, but wildlife experts warn of possible detrimental effects on the fragile ecosystem.

The Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, set to be tested on the atoll, involves landing rocket re-entry vehicles capable of transporting up to 100 tons of cargo anywhere on Earth within approximately 90 minutes, a potential revolution for military logistics. The U.S. Air Force has outlined plans to build two landing pads on the atoll, but biologists express concern for the million seabirds nesting there annually.

An environmental assessment, prepared with input from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Service, is pending public commentary. The U.S. Air Force insists the project may not lead to significant environmental degradation but acknowledges potential risks to migratory birds' habitat.

(With inputs from agencies.)