The Mexican government is considering suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX after a Starship rocket exploded during testing near Boca Chica Beach on June 18, sending chunks of debris across the Rio Grande and into Mexico, according to multiple media reports.
What’s happening?
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a news conference that investigators are determining whether Musk’s SpaceX testing in South Texas is contributing to excessive pollution and marine die-off in her country, as reported by USA Today.
Sheinbaum said Mexico «will file any necessary claims» if the investigation finds violations of international law.
Why is this important?
This is hardly the first time Musk’s SpaceX has drawn the ire of governments, conservationists, and communities near test sites, raising questions not only about the program’s environmental ramifications but also its impact on public health.
In 2023, for instance, testing caused a cloud of «brown grime» to blanket Port Isabel, Texas, according to The New York Times, and resulted in earthquake-like shaking. One resident called the experience «truly terrifying.» The testing troubles have continued in the years since.
The San Antonio Express-News noted that three consecutive Starships launched from South Texas have now broken up while in the air, causing nearly 500 flight delays or diversions and costing airlines and aircraft operators millions of dollars.
What’s being done about this?
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration determined in 2022 that SpaceX launches «would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment within the meaning of [the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969].»
However, public opposition to the SpaceX testing is ongoing. The Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting oceans and beaches, also challenged those findings in court after a launch explosion in April 2023, saying the agency «failed to assess and mitigate the full range of environmental and beach access impacts of the large project.»
For its part, SpaceX also remained steadfast after the June 18 incident that its Starship debris poses «no chemical, biological, or toxicological risks,» according to independent testing.
«We have requested local and federal assistance from the government of Mexico in the recovery of anomaly related debris, offered resources and assistance in the clean-up, and have sought validation of SpaceX’s right to conduct recovery operations,» the company wrote on X.
However, President Sheinbaum has refuted these findings, saying that Mexican scientists discovered that the space debris was harming wildlife in the state of Tamaulipas and the Gulf of Mexico. «There is indeed contamination,» she said, per the Express-News.