'There Is Indeed Contamination': Mexico President Threatens To Sue SpaceX Over Rocket Debris

Last Updated:June 25, 2025, 23:59 IST

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said officials are carrying out a "comprehensive review" of the environmental impacts of the rocket launches near the Mexican border

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said the government is studying which international laws were being violated in order to file "the necessary lawsuits". (Image: AFP/File)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday threatened legal action against billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX over rocket debris and the resulting contamination from launches conducted across the border in the United States.

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

Last week, a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a routine ground test at the Starbase headquarters of the space project on the south Texas coast near the Mexican border. The explosion — which sent a towering fireball into the air — was the latest setback to Musk’s dream of sending humans to Mars.

During her morning news conference, the Mexican President said the government is studying which international laws were being violated in order to file “the necessary lawsuits" because “there is indeed contamination".

The US Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency will not adversely affect the environment. The decision overruled objections from conservation groups that had warned the expansion could endanger sea turtles and shorebirds.

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

(With AFP inputs)

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Location :

Mexico City, Mexico

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News world 'There Is Indeed Contamination': Mexico President Threatens To Sue SpaceX Over Rocket Debris