--- title: "Starship Launch Lit a Large Portion of a State Park on Fire" description: "SpaceX's test launch of its Starship rocket lit 3.5 acres, including land belonging to the neighboring Boca Chica State Park, on fire." date: "2023-04-27" modified: "2023-04-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/starship-launch-state-park-fire" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Starship Launch Lit a Large Portion of a State Park on Fire ![SpaceX's test launch of its Starship rocket lit 3.5 acres, including land belonging to the neighboring Boca Chica State Park, on fire.]() *\Image: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Starship Fire SpaceX's [explosive orbital test launch]() of its massive Starship spacecraft [left a significant mark]() on its surroundings. The launch left a massive crater in the company's launchpad, spitting up vast amounts of concrete and [blanketing miles of South Texas' shoreline]() with particulate matter. Now it turns out that the test launch even lit 3.5 acres, including land belonging to the neighboring Boca Chica State Park, on fire. That's according to the Texas division of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which [told ]()*[Bloomber]()g* in a statement that first responders had eventually managed to extinguish the blaze. While the agency didn't find any evidence of dead birds or wildlife, experts have already found that the noise and debris have [rattled]() local bird feeding and nesting grounds. "Although no debris was documented on refuge fee-owned lands, staff documented approximately 385 acres (156 hectares) of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park," the agency told *Bloomberg*, pointing to a "plume cloud of pulverized concrete" that covered areas up to 6.5 miles northwest of the launch site. ## Wasn't Ready There's growing evidence that SpaceX [rushed to the test launch](), skipping crucial steps in the process. Experts [have pointed out](), for instance, that the Elon Musk-led company launched its rocket without a flame diverter or trench to redirect the rocket's exhaust. Musk himself [revealed that]() SpaceX started building a "massive water-cooled, steel plate to go under the launch mount," but that it "wasn't ready in time." In other words, there's a decent chance at least some of the damage to the surrounding area could've been avoided had SpaceX done its homework. The Federal Aviation Administration has since grounded Starship until it can confirm that "any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," according to a statement [obtained by *CNBC*](). Whether the space company will have learned its lesson before it tries to get its Starship orbital again — or if regulators even let it try again — remains to be seen. **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Is in Big Trouble With the FAA After Starship Explosion]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()