The city of Port Isabel, Texas, was covered in a cloud of dust following the launch of the Starship spacecraft

By: Maksim Panasovskyi | 21.04.2023, 21:55
The city of Port Isabel, Texas, was covered in a cloud of dust following the launch of the Starship spacecraft

Authorities in the Texas city of Port Isabel were dissatisfied with the first orbital launch of the Starship spacecraft. It was not because the rocket system exploded at an altitude of less than 40 km, failing to reach its target.

Here's What We Know

SpaceX launched Starship from the Starbase launch pad in Boca Chico. A few minutes later Starship and Super Heavy entered an uncontrolled spin over the Gulf of Mexico at an altitude of about 39km and exploded safely. But the residents of the nearby town of Port Isabel had to deal with the turmoil.

City spokeswoman Valerie Bates lamented that no one cared about the health of the people. The outrage is because Port Isabel was covered in a cloud of dust after the Starship launch. Virtually everything was covered in sand grains.

The shockwave generated from Starship was unlike anything else. This was reported by LabPadre founder Louis Balderas. The firm shoots launches for SpaceX. Large debris was found not far from Starbase. Later, Port Isabel authorities published confirmation that the dust cloud was the result of a spacecraft launch.

Normally, launch sites use trenches and water systems to divert flames from the rocket and away from the Earth. SpaceX has probably forgotten about safety precautions. So says environmental compliance expert Eric Roesch.

Source: The New York Times