posted 04-21-2023 04:59 PM               

'Look what I found!' SpaceX urges finders to report debris from Starship test flight

Hours after the first test flight of SpaceX's Starship ended with the spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster tumbling until it was commanded to explode, possible debris from the colossal rocket began to wash up on the shores surrounding the company's Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Local county officials were quick to order temporary road and beach closures to aid in "anomaly clean-up efforts," but given that the vehicle was well over the Gulf of Mexico and reached an altitude of approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) before it broke apart on Thursday (April 20), the precautions only extended to a relatively small area of where fragments of the world's tallest and most powerful rocket could end up.

posted 05-11-2023 12:11 PM               

Starship pieces everywhere! No seashell hunting today, it’s all Starship tiles on South Padre Island! Too cool.

posted 09-22-2024 08:29 PM               

Pulled Starship Super Heavy Booster wreckage out of the sea for analysis.

posted 06-09-2025 02:54 PM               

"I personally inspected 40 kilometers of beach, and the findings were shocking: clearly, millions of plastic fragments are reaching the shoreline. This puts the entire marine ecosystem at high risk, negatively affects local fishing communities, and poses a threat to boats that may collide with the floating tanks," Conibio Global A.C. posted on Facebook on June 1.

"Without a doubt, our eight years of efforts to protect the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle an endangered species are now facing maximum risk. In just a few days, hatchlings will begin to emerge, and we will be forced to release them on a beach covered in harmful debris, which they might mistake for food," the post read.

Some of the debris has a "SpaceX" label on it, making it unmistakable where the wreckage originated.

The items range from small pieces of metal and plastic to 4,500-pound tanks that were part of Starship's fire suppression system.

posted 06-26-2025 08:39 PM               

SpaceX responded today:

As previously stated, there are no hazards to the surrounding area. Previous independent tests conducted on materials inside Starship, including toxicity analyses, confirm they pose no chemical, biological, or toxicological risks.

And as is the case before any test, a safety zone was established around the test site and was maintained throughout the operation.

Despite SpaceX's attempts to recover the anomaly related debris, which is and remains the tangible property of SpaceX, these attempts have been hindered by unauthorized parties trespassing on private property.

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.

SpaceX looks forward to working with the Mexican Government and local authorities for the return of the debris as soon as possible.