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US Air Force suspends SpaceX project on Pacific atoll report says

According to an article published this week by Stars and Stripes (an independent publication of the U.S. Military), the U.S. Air Force suspended plans to test hypersonic cargo deliveries using a remote Pacific island. The suspension was a result of reports that biologists and other experts claimed that the project could harm seabirds nesting at the Johnston Atoll Wildlife Refuge, an unincorporated U.S. Territory located nearly 1,300 km southwest of Hawaii.

Air Force said that it would conduct an environmental assessment on the project. However, publication of a draft report was delayed due to opposition from environmental groups.

SpaceX and the Air Force did not immediately reply to comments.

A spokesperson for the Air Force told Stars and Stripes that the Air Force was looking at alternative locations to host the program. The story appeared in the newspaper on Thursday.

Although the Air Force hasn't announced any private partners, it is likely that commercial rockets such as those manufactured by SpaceX will be used in this program.

The program would test rocket landing reentry vehicles that could deliver 100 tons of cargo anywhere on Earth in 90 minutes. This program would revolutionize military logistics, making it possible to quickly move supplies into remote locations.

The 14 tropical bird species on the atoll could not withstand the pressure, say biologists and other experts who worked there. It is part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. SpaceX has affected birds in other protected areas. SpaceX's Starship rocket was launched in Boca Chica in Texas last year. The blast caused the destruction of nests and eggs by plover shorebirds. Musk, the billionaire, ended up in legal trouble for his company and joked that he wouldn't eat omelets in Boca Chica for a whole week as compensation. (Reporting from Washington by Valerie Volcovici, Timothy Gardner and Matthew Lewis. Editing by Matthew Lewis.)

(source: Reuters)