Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday that her government is preparing to sue Elon Musk’s SpaceX over falling debris and environmental contamination from rocket launches at the company’s Texas facility near the Mexican border.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government will pursue legal action against SpaceX for debris that ended up in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, with officials conducting “a general review for which international laws are being violated.” “There is indeed contamination,” Sheinbaum told her morning news conference Wednesday.

The announcement comes in the wake of a dramatic explosion last week at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, located just miles from the Mexican border. On June 18, a Starship rocket exploded during routine testing at approximately 11 p.m. CT, creating a massive fireball visible for miles and sending debris flying across the area.

Environmental Impact Concerns

Environmental officials from Mexico’s environmental prosecutors office and federal environment agency have collected debris including solid and sponge-like plastic, aluminum, rubber, fuel tanks and metal, all believed to belong to SpaceX. The debris has been found both along the Rio Grande border and on Mexican beaches during critical sea turtle nesting season.

Environmental activist Dr. Elias Ibarra says the space debris could harm endangered sea turtles, noting that “for every one thousand hatchlings, only one sea turtle reaches their adult stage.” He believes SpaceX represents a new obstacle that further reduces turtle survival rates.

Mexican officials are carrying out a “comprehensive review” of the environmental impacts of the rocket launches for the neighboring state of Tamaulipas.

Pattern of Recent Failures

The latest explosion marks the fourth time SpaceX has lost a Starship spacecraft this year, highlighting ongoing technical challenges with the world’s most powerful rocket system. The June 18 explosion was fueled by ignition of methane propellant and created brilliant arcs of flaming debris shooting out like burning chunks of lava in a volcanic eruption.

Previous Starship test flights in 2025 have ended in explosions, including incidents in January and March that sent debris raining over Caribbean islands, with one causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Cross-Border Legal Tensions

This lawsuit would be the latest legal tussle between Mexico and a US corporate giant. In May, Sheinbaum’s government sued Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for Google Maps users in the United States following an executive order by President Donald Trump.

The SpaceX facility’s proximity to the Mexican border has created a unique situation where rocket testing and launches in the United States directly impact Mexican territory and waters. Starships launch from the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border at SpaceX’s Starbase facility.

Starship Program Challenges

Starship is central to NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon, with the space agency awarding contracts worth $4 billion to SpaceX for the development of Starship. However, the rocket program has faced mounting technical difficulties.

In a May interview, Musk acknowledged that Starship was proving to be “a very complicated rocket that was difficult to operate” and expressed hopes for a test flight “where hopefully things don’t explode.”

The 400-foot-tall rocket system remains central to Musk’s ambitious plans for Mars colonization, but the recent string of failures has raised questions about the timeline for achieving operational status.

SpaceX has not responded to requests for comment about the debris or potential cleanup efforts on the Mexican side of the border. The company maintains that all personnel were safe during the June 18 explosion and that there were no hazards to surrounding communities.

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Mexico Threatens Legal Action Against SpaceX Over Rocket Debris and Environmental Contamination

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday that her government is preparing to sue Elon Musk’s SpaceX over falling debris and environmental contamination from rocket launches at the company’s Texas facility near the Mexican border.

Legal Action Planned

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government will pursue legal action against SpaceX for debris that ended up in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, with officials conducting “a general review for which international laws are being violated.” “There is indeed contamination,” Sheinbaum told her morning news conference Wednesday.

The announcement comes in the wake of a dramatic explosion last week at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, located just miles from the Mexican border. On June 18, a Starship rocket exploded during routine testing at approximately 11 p.m. CT, creating a massive fireball visible for miles and sending debris flying across the area.

Environmental Impact Concerns

Environmental officials from Mexico’s environmental prosecutors office and federal environment agency have collected debris including solid and sponge-like plastic, aluminum, rubber, fuel tanks and metal, all believed to belong to SpaceX. The debris has been found both along the Rio Grande border and on Mexican beaches during critical sea turtle nesting season.

Environmental activist Dr. Elias Ibarra says the space debris could harm endangered sea turtles, noting that “for every one thousand hatchlings, only one sea turtle reaches their adult stage.” He believes SpaceX represents a new obstacle that further reduces turtle survival rates.

Mexican officials are carrying out a “comprehensive review” of the environmental impacts of the rocket launches for the neighboring state of Tamaulipas.

Pattern of Recent Failures

The latest explosion marks the fourth time SpaceX has lost a Starship spacecraft this year, highlighting ongoing technical challenges with the world’s most powerful rocket system. The June 18 explosion was fueled by ignition of methane propellant and created brilliant arcs of flaming debris shooting out like burning chunks of lava in a volcanic eruption.

Previous Starship test flights in 2025 have ended in explosions, including incidents in January and March that sent debris raining over Caribbean islands, with one causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Cross-Border Legal Tensions

This lawsuit would be the latest legal tussle between Mexico and a US corporate giant. In May, Sheinbaum’s government sued Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for Google Maps users in the United States following an executive order by President Donald Trump.

The SpaceX facility’s proximity to the Mexican border has created a unique situation where rocket testing and launches in the United States directly impact Mexican territory and waters. Starships launch from the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border at SpaceX’s Starbase facility.

Starship Program Challenges

Starship is central to NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon, with the space agency awarding contracts worth $4 billion to SpaceX for the development of Starship. However, the rocket program has faced mounting technical difficulties.

In a May interview, Musk acknowledged that Starship was proving to be “a very complicated rocket that was difficult to operate” and expressed hopes for a test flight “where hopefully things don’t explode.”

The 400-foot-tall rocket system remains central to Musk’s ambitious plans for Mars colonization, but the recent string of failures has raised questions about the timeline for achieving operational status.

SpaceX has not responded to requests for comment about the debris or potential cleanup efforts on the Mexican side of the border. The company maintains that all personnel were safe during the June 18 explosion and that there were no hazards to surrounding communities.