[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11518-11519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6169]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (02-037)]


National Environmental Policy Act; NASA Routine Payloads for 
Expendable Launch Vehicles

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental assessment (DEA) 
for launch of NASA routine spacecraft as payloads on expendable launch 
vehicles.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and 
procedures (14 CFR part 1216 subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared and 
issued a DEA for launch of NASA routine spacecraft as payloads on 
expendable launch vehicles. This DEA addresses the potential 
environmental impacts associated with preparing and implementing the 
launch of missions that are designated routine payloads on U.S. 
expendable launch vehicles from existing U.S. facilities using 
established procedures. The spacecraft covered by this DEA (referred to 
as routine payload spacecraft) would meet rigorously defined criteria 
ensuring that the spacecraft, their operation, and their 
decommissioning would not present any new or substantial environmental 
and safety concerns. A Routine Payload Checklist (RPC) is used to 
exclude missions from consideration as routine payloads if they include 
any extraterrestrial sample return; would be launched on a vehicle and 
launch pad combination not covered in this DEA; carry radioactive 
sources that could not be approved by the NASA Office of Safety and 
Mission Assurance (OSMA) Nuclear Flight Safety Assurance Manager 
(NFSAM); cause the manifested launch rate (per year) for a particular 
launch vehicle to exceed the rate previously approved and permitted at 
the launch sites; require the construction of any new facilities (or 
substantial modification of existing facilities); utilize hazardous 
materials in quantities exceeding the Envelope Payload Characteristics 
(EPCs); utilize potentially hazardous material whose type or amount 
would not be covered by new or existing local permits or is not 
included within the definition of the Envelope Spacecraft (ES); release 
material other than propulsion system exhaust or inert gases into the 
atmosphere; suggest the potential for any substantial impact on public 
health and safety not covered by this DEA; have the potential for 
substantial effects on the environment outside the United States; 
utilize an Earth-pointing laser system that does not meet the 
requirements for safe operations according to American National 
Standards Institute (ANSI) analysis techniques; carry live or inactive 
disease-causing biological agents; or have the potential to create 
substantial public controversy related to environmental issues. The 
proposed launches would occur from existing launch facilities at Cape 
Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force 
Base (VAFB), California, during the period 2002 to 2012. Spacecraft 
that comply with the RPC would utilize materials, quantities of 
materials, launch vehicles, and operational characteristics that are 
consistent with normal and routine spacecraft preparation and flight 
activities at VAFB, CCAFS, and Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. 
Therefore, the environmental impacts of launching routine payload 
spacecraft would fall within the range of routine, ongoing, and 
previously documented impacts associated with approved programs that 
have been determined not to be significant. The purpose and need for 
this proposed action is to fulfill NASA's mission for Earth 
exploration, space exploration, technology development, and scientific 
research. The scientific missions associated with NASA routine payload 
spacecraft could not be accomplished without launching orbital and 
interplanetary spacecraft.

DATES: Comments must be provided in writing to NASA on or before April 
15, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Mark R. Dahl, Program 
Executive, NASA Headquarters, Code SM, Washington, DC 20546. Hard copy 
comments are preferred, but comments may be sent by electronic mail to 
[email protected]. The DEA may be reviewed at the locations listed 
under the supplementary information in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark R. Dahl, 202-358-4800; 
[email protected]. The DEA also is available in Acrobat 
format at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/admin/pubs/routine_EA/index.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S. space and Earth exploration is integral 
to NASA's strategic plan for carrying out its mission. NASA is also 
committed to the further development of advanced, low-cost technologies 
for exploring and

[[Page 11519]]

utilizing space. To fulfill these objectives, a continuing series of 
scientific spacecraft would need to be designed, built, and launched 
into Earth orbit or towards other bodies in the Solar System. These 
spacecraft would flyby, encounter, orbit about, land on, or impact with 
these bodies to collect various scientific data that would be 
transmitted to Earth via radio for analysis. The scientific missions 
associated with NASA routine payload spacecraft could not be 
accomplished without launching such scientific spacecraft.
    The proposed action is comprised of preparing, launching, and 
decommissioning missions designated NASA routine payload spacecraft. 
The design and operational characteristics and, therefore, the 
environmental impacts of routine payload spacecraft would be rigorously 
bounded. Routine payload spacecraft would utilize materials, launch 
vehicles, facilities, and operations that are normally and customarily 
used at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California, and Cape 
Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and Kennedy Space Center (KSC), 
Florida. The routine payload spacecraft would use these materials, 
launch vehicles, facilities, and operations only within the scope of 
activities already approved or permitted. The scope of this DEA 
includes all spacecraft that would meet specific criteria on their 
construction and launch, would accomplish the requirements of NASA's 
research objectives, and would not present new or substantial 
environmental impacts or hazards. These spacecraft would meet the 
limitations set forth in the Routine Payload Checklist (RPC), which was 
developed to delimit the characteristics and environmental impacts of 
this group of spacecraft. Preparation and launch of all spacecraft that 
are defined as routine payloads would have environmental impacts that 
fall within the range of routine, ongoing, and previously documented 
impacts associated with approved missions that have been determined not 
to be significant. Alternative spacecraft designs that exceed the 
limitations of the RPC may have new or substantial environmental 
impacts or hazards and are not covered by this DEA. Foreign launch 
vehicles would require individual consideration, review, and separate 
environmental analysis, and were not considered to be reasonable 
alternatives for the purpose of this routine payload spacecraft DEA. 
The No-Action Alternative would mean that NASA would not launch 
scientific spacecraft missions defined as routine payloads using 
specific criteria and thresholds. NASA would then continue to propose 
spacecraft missions for individualized review under NEPA. Such 
duplicate analyses and redundant documentation for spacecraft missions 
that meet the limitations of the RPC, however, would not present any 
new information or identify any substantially different environmental 
impacts.
    The expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) proposed for launching the 
routine payload spacecraft represent domestic (U.S.) ELVs that would be 
suitable for launching the routine payload spacecraft, would 
potentially be available during the 2002 to 2012 period, have 
documented environmental impacts, and would utilize existing launch 
facilities. The ELVs included in this action are the Atlas series, 
Delta series, Taurus, Athena series, Pegasus XL, and Titan II. These 
launch vehicles would accommodate the desired range of payload masses, 
would provide the needed trajectory capabilities, and would provide 
highly reliable launch services. Individual ELVs would be carefully 
matched to the launch requirements of each particular routine payload 
spacecraft. For the NASA routine spacecraft missions, the potentially 
affected environment for normal launches includes the areas at and in 
the vicinity of the two launch sites, CCAFS in Florida, and VAFB in 
California. For normal launches of routine payloads under the proposed 
action, the environmental impacts would be associated principally with 
the exhaust emissions from the launch vehicles. These effects would 
include short-term impacts on air quality within the exhaust cloud and 
near the launch pads, and the potential for acidic deposition on the 
vegetation and surface water bodies at and near each launch complex, 
particularly if a rain storm occurred. To minimize the potential for 
disturbance of protected wildlife species, consultation with the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973 (as amended) is required. Routine payload processing and launch 
activities would not require any additional permits or mitigation 
measures beyond those already existing, or in coordination, for VAFB or 
CCAFS launches.
    There are no direct or substantial environmental impacts, including 
cumulative impacts, associated with the proposed action that have not 
already been covered by NEPA documentation for the existing launch 
sites, launch vehicles, launch facilities, and payload processing 
facilities. NASA missions covered by this DEA would be manifested at 
VAFB or CCAFS and would be within the total number of launch operations 
previously analyzed in launch vehicle and launch site NEPA documents.
    The DEA may be reviewed at the following locations:
    (a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20546 (202-358-0167).
    (b) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL 
32899. Please call Penny Myers beforehand at 321-867-9280 so that 
arrangements can be made.
    (c) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800 
Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).
    The DEA may be examined at the following NASA Centers by contacting 
the appropriate Freedom of Information Act Office:
    (d) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (650-604-
1181).
    (e) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 
93523 (661-258-3689).
    (f) NASA, Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, 21000 Brookpark 
Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 (216-433-2755).
    (g) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, 
MD 20771 (301-286-6255).
    (h) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).
    (i) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 (757-864-
2497).
    (j) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-
544-1837).
    (k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164).
    Limited hard copies of the DEA are available, on a first request 
basis, by contacting Mr. Dahl at the address or telephone number 
indicated herein.

Jeffrey E. Sutton,
Assistant Administrator for Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 02-6169 Filed 3-13-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-01-P