SpaceX’s Starship launches at the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas, have allegedly been contaminating local bodies of water with mercury for years. The news arrives in an exclusive CNBCreport on August 12, which cites internal documents and communications between local Texas regulators and the Environmental Protection Agency.

SpaceX’s fourth Starship test launch in June was its most successful so far—but the world’s largest and most powerful rocket ever built continues to wreak havoc on nearby Texas communities, wildlife, and ecosystems. But after repeated admonishments, reviews, and ignored requests, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have had enough.

    • Atrichum@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      SpaceX fans have known about this for a long time now, and they just don’t care. They’ve shouted down anyone who has pointed it out for well over a year now

      • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        SpaceX is cool, Elon is the world’s most colossal asshole. Some people won’t separate the two because they rightfully don’t want to enable him.

        Shotwell could run the whole thing herself, I wish the government would step in and cut Musk out of it entirely.

      • johker216@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I’d rather NASA be funded well enough to not need private, profit-driven, corporations dictating how we explore space. That and Musk’s stench sticks to all his companies, for good or bad.

        • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          SLS does it the old way, with NASA contracting work out to the old school companies.

          The Commercial Crew and Supply contracts are there to try it a different way. And they’re accomplishing their goals much more quickly and at a fraction of the cost.

        • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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          3 months ago

          Hmm, did you read that article before posting it?

          Because Im struggling to see how Starship, a fully reusable spaceship made out of stainless steel, is going to deplete the ozone the way that aluminum satellites do when they are deorbited and burned up…

            • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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              3 months ago

              You literally quoted me talking about Starship, and the article OP linked is about Starship.

              SpaceX is going to launch the ~4000 satellites it has permits for, starship doesn’t change that in any way shape or form.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                or they can launch 170 tons of science missions every 2 weeks on Starship.

                Your words? Because, again, it’s not Starship they’re launching every two weeks.

                • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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                  3 months ago

                  Yes, it is. That is using their projected budget and the launch cadence that’s possible with both SLS and Starship. SLS can at most launch twice a year, Starship will be able to launch every two weeks, and costs orders of magnitude less.

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                    3 months ago

                    And meanwhile, SpaceX will destroy the ozone layer with endless Starlink launches, so maybe let’s not praise them, like I initially said?

          • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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            3 months ago

            Do you know what the clouds coming out of the engines at shut down and start up are? Methane and oxygen. Do you think injecting methane into the upper atmosphere does the earth any favours?

            • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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              3 months ago

              Huh, if only NASA Earth’s science budget could stretch farther somehow so they could better monitor and tell us… now I wonder how they could reduce their mission costs by orders of magnitude…

                • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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                  3 months ago

                  No they’re not. You’re sitting here asking open ended questions like “do you think that will be good for the upper atmosphere”.