Mexican president eyes legal action against Elon Musk’s SpaceX

Sheinbaum’s government is assessing violations of international laws to address the contamination and environmental impact

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday that she was reviewing taking legal action against SpaceX due to the environmental damage caused by debris from a Starship rocket explosion in Tamaulipas.

“The general review is being made, what international laws are being violated, and from there, we will initiate a process, because indeed there is indeed contamination,” said Sheinbaum.

The incident, stemming from a launch in Boca Chica, Texas, near the Mexican border, scattered hazardous waste, including micro-debris, along Matamoros beaches, threatening local wildlife, particularly endangered Olive Ridley turtles, which could mistake the fragments of space debris for food, which represents a mortal danger for these animals, it was explained.

After launch, the booster detached and exploded upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, breaking apart into hundreds of fragments that fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Some of this debris, carried by waves and currents, washed ashore at Bagdad Beach in Matamoros, raising concerns among environmental groups and local officials.

The recovered materials included pieces of rubber, plastic, silicone, aluminum, cooling tanks, and launch-related containers. While cleanup crews have removed the larger items, the primary challenge now lies in addressing micro-debris—tiny particles scattered across more than 40 kilometers of coastline.

The legal battle would mark another dispute between Mexico and a US company, in this case SpaceX, owned by South African-born tycoon Elon Musk, who insists on taking humans to Mars.

In May, Sheinbaum reportedly sued Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America” pursuant to an executive order from US President Donald Trump.