Activists claim SpaceX launches causing destruction to environment & wildlife in Texas

While Elon Musk's SpaceX might have brought the US state of Texas in the spotlight, environmentalists are fairly unhappy about the repercussions the company's launches are causing to the area. On one hand, where Musk is persevering to make humans multi-planetary, his attempts are ironically harming Earth, the activists believe.

Musk marked his territory in the small town of Boca Chica in 2014. The site is the manufacturing site for SpaceX's Starship rocket and has conducted and achieved historic feats involving the ambitious Mars-bound vehicle. 

Impact of SpaceX on Texas's environment

It is needless to say that SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site in Texas has garnered global recognition for historic flights that have been executed, with the most recent being the successful test flight of Starship SN15. However, the previous failed attempts and crashes of the Starship SN11, SN12, SN13 and SN14 aircraft have left debris scattered all over the coastal area. Besides, environmentalists argue that the smoke released during the test launches and especially the crashes are degrading Texas' rich wildlife.

According to a report published by The Guardian, David Newstead who's the director of the nonprofit Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries says that the launch site in Boca Chica is surrounded by land that is state and federally protected. He stated that the explosions till now have littered parts of the coastal strip's ecosystem, which comprises -- tidal flats, beaches, grasslands, and coastal dunes -- with debris from the crashed rockets. SpaceX's enhanced activity over the near-11,000 acre strip in the past has pushed the endangered Kemp's ridley turtle to an even harrowing spot, said the report. Besides, the activists have even blamed the state authorities for allotting Musk the land without considering the environmental impacts.

Earlier in 2018, Musk had shown composure in a press conference saying the vast area allotted to them won't be a problem to residents even if the rocket blows up, as per The Guardian.

Meanwhile, the private space company is currently focused on its first-ever all-civilian flight that is scheduled for take-off on September 15 from the Kennedy Space Centre, in Florida. Musk's upcoming charity-oriented flight, carrying four civilians, aims to raise over 1,400 crores for a children's hospital over a three-day orbital journey.

(IMAGE CREDIT: AP)