Members of the American Nudist Recreation Association are protesting SpaceX’s proposal to allow it to use the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida coast.
Members of the American Nudist Recreation Association are protesting SpaceX’s proposal to allow it to use the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida coast.
As Futurism reports, among the many potential impacts of SpaceX’s arrival in Florida, including flight delays across the state, is the re-closure of Playalinda Beach, a remote spot on the Cape Canaveral coast that is one of four major public beaches in Florida where nudism is legal.
The beach could be closed up to 60 times a year due to Starship launches, and the American Association of Nudist Recreation (AANR) believes this will hurt its members. Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the AANR, added that the closure of Playalinda Beach could also affect the non-nudist community.
He said nudists could end up going to nearby Volusia County, home to Apollo Beach, which is clothing-optional and also popular with nude sunbathers. Schuttauf warned that if Playalinda is closed, nudists could overrun Apollo, causing conflicts with other vacationers.
However, not everyone shares the concerns of American nudists. Novice photographer Max West said he plans to move to the area to photograph Starship launches, and suggested that nudists should put up with it.
«Turtles and nudists will have to migrate. That’s the price you have to pay for these incredible events,» West said, alluding to experts' concerns that SpaceX rocket debris will pose a danger to endangered sea turtles.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not yet completed its environmental review of SpaceX’s request to move to Florida and has not yet determined whether Musk’s company can meet the financial and safety requirements to operate at Kennedy Space Center, construction of the Starship Tower has been underway for more than a year.
Recall that in late August, the Starship rocket made its first successful flight: the device launched eight Starlink satellite prototypes into orbit and passed re-entry tests. This was an important moment for Elon Musk’s company after several unsuccessful test launches.
