It’s a beautiful morning on Cumberland Island, just off the coast of Georgia. North Atlantic right whales calve not far offshore, while, on shore, endangered sea turtles nest in the dunes and wild horses roam. Manatees pass by on their annual migration. Soaring overhead are threatened and endangered species, including bald eagles, wood storks, Wilson’s plovers, and American oystercatchers. Something else might join those birds soon, too: space rockets.

Spaceport Camden is a controversial commercial spaceport project in Camden County, bordering northeast Florida and less than 5 miles from Cumberland Island National Seashore. If it comes to full fruition, it would be the only exclusive vertical, non-federal rocket launch site on the East Coast.

That is a big if, however. Camden County has sought federal approval of the project since 2015 and has spent nearly $10 million in taxpayer dollars to ensure that it gets the green light. In late December of 2021, approval was granted: The Federal Aviation Administration — which regulates the commercial space industry — announced that it would grant a site operator’s license to Spaceport Camden, which allows the county to build and operate the facility. But, the FAA said, it would require further safety, environmental, and other reviews before any rocket could be launched.

As Steve Kulm, Public Affairs Specialist at the FAA, said in a statement, “This license does not authorize a single launch.” Spaceport Camden must still obtain permission from the FAA for every launch, a process that requires additional and stringent regulatory safety and environmental reviews. “Simply put,” Kulm says, “before any potential launch can occur, many more reviews remain and no outcome is guaranteed.”

Environmental advocates, researchers, and many local residents have come together in opposition to the project, which will include a vertical launch facility, launch control center complex, visitor center, and mission preparation area. They point to impacts on natural and human environments alike. Rocket launches, they warn, can send flaming debris and toxic material from the sky, which could destroy critical habitat like tidal marshes, vital both to wildlife and to the local economy. Noise from the rockets could disturb sensitive wildlife, as could lights at the space complex, which would stretch across a 12,000 acre site.

“Toxic spills, explosions, or flaming debris would have devastating, irreversible consequences for marshlands and maritime forests,” says Jessica Howell-Edwards, program director for Wild Cumberland, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the wilderness, native species, and the ecology of Cumberland Island.

Blasts could also harm Cumberland’s historical structures, like The Settlement, a community populated by former slaves. All that remains of the community is a house and a small African Baptist Church.

On top of all that, rockets would be launched over private homes and a visitor-active unit of the National Parks Department. Indeed, with approximately 60,000 visitors a year to Cumberland Island National Seashore, the Park Service, and, by extension, the US Department of the Interior, have reservations about the plan. A letter from July 2021, signed by Laura Fleming of the Interior Department’s Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, says a spaceport safety briefing the FAA gave “provided insufficient information for our needs.” The letter continued, “As a Federal land manager charged with the protection of some of the nation’s most protected resources, [the National Park Service] has a responsibility to plan and prepare for a worst-case scenario.”

“It’s obvious that the FAA has prioritized its mandate to promote space commerce above its commitment to the environment and public safety,” says Howell-Edwards. “Allowing a private spaceport to launch rockets over Cumberland Island Wilderness sets a dangerous precedent for all federally-protected areas.”

“Virtually from the start, the FAA’s review of Spaceport Camden has been fraught with factual mistakes and legal errors,” adds Brian Gist, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “We will carefully review the FAA’s decision to ensure that it fully complies with all applicable laws.”

The now-approved Spaceport Camden proposal underwent significant revisions, which Gist contends were done without corresponding significant revisions to the environmental impact statement (EIS). For example, Camden County changed its application to focus on small rockets over medium and large rockets. Small rockets fail at a higher rate than larger ones, posing a different type of risk than what iscaptured in the existing EIS.

Still, some, like Steve Howard, Spaceport Camden’s project lead and Camden County administrator, are excited about the approval. “In the twentieth century Camden County was declared the ‘Gateway to Space,’” he said in a statement following the decision. “With this license, we have retained that title again in the twenty-first century.” He continues, “This once-in-a-generation opportunity will provide a new frontier of economic prosperity for Camden, the region, and the state of Georgia.” Georgia, Howard believes, will become one of the leaders of the space race.

The project is also expected to bring local jobs. Construction, which is expected to take a year-and-a-half, would create an estimate 70 temporary jobs, with around 80 full-time jobs created once the facility is operational.

This isn’t the first environmental conflict in the area. Logging, strip mining, and resort construction have all been considered on Cumberland Island in the past. NASA even looked at the island for an East Coast launch center. Cape Canaveral was chosen instead. The National Park Service acquired most of the island — previously owned by the Carnegie family — in 1972, establishing the Cumberland National Seashore. The rest of the island is owned by the Candler family of Coca-Cola fame, some Carnegie descendants, and other private individuals.

But so far, the area has evaded large-scale development. Environmentalists hope it will do so once again.