Contamination Of Launch Area Virtually Nonexistent

Commercial spaceflight company SpaceX has rebutted a story on CNBC stating that SpaceX violated environmental regulations by releasing pollutants into bodies of water near the company’s Starbase launch site near Brownsville, Texas.

SpaceX posted its response to the story on X, formerly Twitter. The company said, “CNBC’s story on Starship’s launch operations in South Texas is factually inaccurate.

The post described in detail how the launch site’s flame deflector system operates by using potable (drinking) water to diffuse heat and vibrations from the firing rocket engines during static engine tests and launches. Anyone who has ever watched any rocket launch has most likely seen this water release begin just as the engines ignite. It’s also commonly referred to as the deluge system and has been used at launch sites in the U.S. and around the globe.

The CNBC story claimed there has been excessive mercury released from the deluge water multiple times during launches, but SpaceX described in detail how it recaptured launch water and conducted testing which demonstrated that either no mercury was detectable or in the few instances it was, the level was significantly below the EPA limit for drinking water.

SpaceX provided a comprehensive summary of its interactions with the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the EPA regarding its launch permits required by the state. During these interactions, SpaceX explicitly asked if use of the deluge system needed to be stopped and was informed that operations could be continued.

On all points raised by the CNBC story, SpaceX had detailed, documented, appropriate, and correct responses.

FMI:  www.spacex.com/