Police Issue Explosion Warning For SpaceX’s Starhopper Launch

Local law enforcement delivered notices to residents of a small community in Texas to warn them about SpaceX’s upcoming test flight for its Starhopper rocket. As indicated in the notice, the residents should leave their homes for the launch in case of a possible explosion.

The Starhopper is the prototype for SpaceX’ Starship, a fully reusable rocket that’s designed to provide commercial spaceflights to Mars. In the past couple of months, the company has been carrying out various tests for the prototype’s engines.

Later today, SpaceX will proceed with its latest test flight for the Starhopper. It will be carried out at the company’s launch facility in south Texas, according to Business Insider.

Since SpaceX’s facility sits just a couple of miles from a small residential community known as Boca Chica Village, the county sheriff’s department released a notice to inform residents about the launch. In addition, the members of the community were also advised to vacate their homes in preparation for the event.

As indicated in the notice, a malfunction may occur during the test launch that could create an overpressure event, also known as an explosion. Due to the distance between the village and SpaceX’s launch facility, a rocket explosion could cause severe damage to the nearby homes.

“There is a risk that a malfunction of the SpaceX vehicle during flight will create an overpressure event that can break windows,” the notice stated. “Therefore, in order to protect public health and safety, it is recommended that you consider temporarily vacating yourself, other occupants, and pets from the area during the Space Flight Activities.”

According to the notice, the residents of the village will be notified when to leave their homes through police sirens that will be activated around 10 minutes before the test launch.

The company has not yet stated if it will compensate residents of the village for damages or possible injuries in case of an overpressure event.

SpaceX’s Starhopper test flight is scheduled to take place on Aug. 26 at 5 pm EDT. During this time, the company expects to have a 15-minute flight window for the launch.