SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
SpaceX’s explosive test flight of its Starship rocket last week hurled “pulverized concrete” up to 6½ miles northwest of the South Texas launch pad and resulted in about 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at nearby Boca Chica State Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said many large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects were “hurled thousands of feet away,” along with a plume cloud of concrete particles that resulted in the miles-away scattering. A 3½-acre fire also started on Boca Chica State Park land, which is south of the launch pad, the agency said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was assessing the impact of the launch because SpaceX’s launch site is right near the agency’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.
Agency staff were not allowed to go into their refuge-owned or managed lands until two days after the launch because of “launch pad safety concerns.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it hadn’t found any dead birds or wildlife on any of its refuge-owned or managed lands.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agency’s assessment.
Last week’s Starship launch was the first time SpaceX had launched its massive rocket, which has 33 engines in its first stage. The rocket cleared the launch tower and soared into the sky for a few minutes before somersaulting and exploding in midair.
The Hawthorne space company later said the explosion was triggered by the rocket’s autonomous flight termination system, a safety measure embedded in the rocket’s software that destroys the launch vehicle if it senses that its course or performance is awry or unsafe. SpaceX said multiple rocket engines were out during the flight and that Starship lost altitude.
