SpaceX says debris recovery attempts hindered after Starship explosion

SpaceX said on Thursday its debris recovery efforts after last week’s Starship explosion have been hindered, and it has sought cooperation from Mexico, whose president has raised the possibility of legal action against the company.

A massive Starship spacecraft by SpaceX exploded into a dramatic fireball during testing in Texas last week, which Elon Musk’s space firm attributed to a “major anomaly.”

The Starship rocket appeared to have experienced at least two explosions in rapid succession, lighting up the night sky and sending debris flying, according to video capturing the moment it exploded.

“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,” the company said in a post on social media platform X.

“We have requested local and federal assistance from the government of Mexico in the recovery,” it said, adding that it also has offered resources and assistance in the clean-up.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that her administration is investigating the security and environmental impact of the launch of rockets, particularly for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

A general review is being conducted to determine what international laws are being violated. “From there, we’ll start a process, because there is indeed contamination,” Sheinbaum had said during a morning press conference.

A Starship spacecraft exploded in space minutes after lifting off from Texas in March, prompting the FAA to halt air traffic in parts of Florida, in a setback for Musk’s Mars rocket program.

In January, a Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas, raining debris over Caribbean islands and causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands.