SpaceX launches third test flight near Boca Chica Beach

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Thursday morning SpaceX launched its third test flight for its starship rocket out of Cameron County near Boca Chica Beach.

The goal of the flight was to get the unpiloted upper stage into space and bring it down into the Indian Ocean. While the rocket did make it to space it didn’t come without its issues. Communication was lost during the test flight and the first-stage boosters broke apart over the Gulf of Mexico.

Despite these issues, SpaceX and NASA have considered it a win especially given the previous test flights last year in April and November ended up in explosions shortly after takeoff.

SpaceX’s third attempt comes a little over a week after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission held a meeting in Austin to consider a land exchange with the company. After around four hours of testimony, the commission decided to pursue the exchange.

In the exchange, SpaceX would receive 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park which would be swapped for 477 acres adjacent to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

The exchange has been a topic of controversy. Before the meeting, several people took the stand to voice their concerns over how the development could impact the environment. There were also concerns after last year’s launch caused dust a debris to rain down onto nearby neighborhoods. The March 4 meeting was also the last time people could voice their opinions on the exchange.

A former NASA employee from Bryan was present during the meeting to provide his testimony. He told KBTX his concerns lie with the fact there has been no launch pad analysis at least to his knowledge.

“We need to have transparency especially if that large of a vehicle is launching within six miles of a city I say 6 miles because that’s the launch pad explosion exposure, but it can hurt people past six miles with that much fuel exploding,” Bob Achgill, former NASA employee said.

Some other concerns that were expressed involved a lack of security around the facility and road closures that prevent access to the beach. A list of road closures and delays can be found on Cameron County’s website.

On the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s website, a new release was posted giving more details on the exchange that they said is “an exciting opportunity to acquire land that has been of interest to us and the conservation community for many years.”

“The land exchange would create a tenfold return and allow TPWD to acquire land and initiate planning for a new state park for public enjoyment with access for fishing, kayaking, wildlife viewing, hiking, biking and family gatherings in a rapidly developing region of Texas,” Texas Parks and Wildlife said in a statement.

In the same release, they added that the 43 acres proposed for trade do not connect to areas offering public access to Bocca Chica State Park. It is “dotted among private properties or immediately adjacent to SpaceX’s facilities.”