EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Pollution

    Debris From SpaceX Explosion Coated Texas Town and Smashed Into Wildlife Refuge

    By: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Updated: May 1, 2023
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas
    The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on April 20, 2023. PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    On April 20, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship exploded over the Gulf of Mexico three minutes into its inaugural launch. While the fiery spectacle caught the attention of the public, it was the eruptive ground-level portion of the launch that has been attracting more intense scrutiny from the government and environmentalists.

    Last Thursday’s blastoff from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, blew a cloud of shattered concrete over neighboring Port Isabel, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Aubry Buzek, as Reuters reported. A report from the agency said that and the big chunks of metal and concrete that were thrown thousands of feet onto the grounds of a national wildlife refuge, causing a three-and-a-half acre fire, have led to new concerns about the environmental impact of the company’s operations.

    More From EcoWatch
    • Is Texas Good for Solar Energy?
    • Why Are Texas Electric Rates So High?
    • Can You Switch Power Suppliers?

    “They contemplated debris from these launches, but not part of the launch pad itself being blown out miles away and scattered across the landscape,” said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, as reported by Reuters. “What happened is not what they anticipated.”

    The agency’s report said no people were injured, and there was no evidence of wildlife having been hurt by the launch.

    “I walk through the dunes, towards the windy mudflat just south of the launch pad. There’s debris spread nearly a mile around — some the size of golf balls, others as big as engine blocks,” Gaige Davila of Texas Public Radio said on NPR’s All Things Considered. “The entire bed of this mudflat is covered with pieces of concrete and rebar. Some have impacted the ground so hard that they’ve left holes that are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet deep and 6 feet across.”

    Despite the explosion and damaging debris, SpaceX called the mission a success for having gotten Starship off the ground on its first attempted flight.

    Environmentalists cited the report as proof that further investigation was needed into potential dangers to wildlife and public safety before other launches of the spacecraft are attempted at the site, Reuters reported.

    Starship is slated to become a part of NASA’s Artemis program, which has plans to bring astronauts back to the moon with its sights set on humans eventually traveling all the way to Mars.

    Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration said a legally-mandated “mishap” investigation had been opened, which effectively grounded the Starship rocket until a root cause of any failures is found and corrective action is taken.

    Musk said the next SpaceX launch will include a steel foundation and water-cooling system.

    Last year, an environmental impact assessment for the Starbase facility was approved by the agency that anticipated debris from launches extending about a square mile from the launchpad.

    According to Margolis, the metal and concrete thrown into the air during the recent launch likely landed in critical habitat for the endangered piping plover. Margolis added that the problems from the launch were proof that the original environmental impact assessment was insufficient.

    Last week Musk suggested the company could have planned improvements to the launch site finished before the next attempted launch in a month or two. “We are not against space exploration or this company,” Margolis told CNBC. “But while we are looking to the stars, we should not readily sacrifice communities, habitat, and species.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Cristen is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She holds a JD and an Ocean & Coastal Law Certificate from University of Oregon School of Law and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of the short story collection The Smallest of Entryways, as well as the travel biography, Ernest’s Way: An International Journey Through Hemingway’s Life.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      'Polluters Can No Longer Hide From Their Crimes': Fossil Fuel Companies Owe $5.4 Trillion in Reparations, Study Says
      The biggest fossil fuel companies in the world owe at
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Human Activities Have Drastically Reduced Habitats for Asian Elephants
      By Shermin de Silva
      By The Revelator
      Excessive Foraging for Wild Mushrooms and Garlic a 'Risk to Wildlife' in UK
      In the UK, experts have expressed concern that some foragers
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • U.S. and Canada Announce Joint EV Charging Network
          by Paige Bennett
          May 23, 2023
        • Supreme Court’s Ruling on Humane Treatment of Pigs Could Catalyze a Wave of New Animal Welfare Laws
          by The Conversation
          May 23, 2023
        • ‘Polluters Can No Longer Hide From Their Crimes’: Fossil Fuel Companies Owe $5.4 Trillion in Reparations, Study Says
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 22, 2023
        • Researchers Develop Lithium-Ion Battery That Could Perform Better in Low Temperatures
          by Paige Bennett
          May 22, 2023
        • Bees Can Learn, Remember, Think and Make Decisions – Here’s a Look at How They Navigate the World
          by The Conversation
          May 22, 2023
        • World’s Largest Lakes Losing Trillions of Gallons of Water Annually
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 19, 2023
        • New York City Is Gradually Sinking From the Weight of Its Buildings, Study Finds
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 19, 2023
        • U.S. Considers Replacing ‘Chasing Arrows’ Recycling Symbol
          by Paige Bennett
          May 19, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more