Lawsuit seeks to revoke FAA license for Georgia spaceport

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Opponents of a proposed launchpad for commercial rockets on the Georgia coast want a federal court to throw out the project’s government license, saying the Federal Aviation Administration failed to adequately consider safety risks. A lawsuit in U.S. District Court says the FAA allowed Spaceport Camden officials to base their license application on a hypothetical rocket that’s smaller than any currently in use so they could minimize potential threats from explosive misfires. Camden County wants to fire rockets over a sparsely populated barrier island as well as over federally protected Cumberland Island. Opponents say the risk of misfires raining fiery debris is too great. Voters rejected the project in a March referendum, but officials have vowed to move forward.