A crane collapsed at SpaceX’s South Texas Rocket Facility this week. The company’s newly formed city won’t say if anyone has been injured or not.
On June 23, cranes were used to clean up the latest SpaceX Rocket Explosion debris that collapsed at the company’s launch complex. The footage of the accident was captured by Lab Padre, one of the content creators who regularly film and film the site. However, it was filmed from afar, making it impossible to tell if someone was hurt or in danger.
SpaceX has not publicly admitted the collapse and did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. That’s not surprising. The company posts details about spaceflight accidents, like when a spacecraft rocket explodes, but otherwise it’s tough.
However, SpaceX’s facility is now part of a newly incorporated city called Starbase, Texas, and the accident occurred within the borders. And last week, Starbase officials made a brief post about X after one of the Starship rockets exploded in the test stand.
However, there were no posts about the crane collapse, but the city ignores direct appeals to the information. TechCrunch contacted Starbase’s main media email address, mayor, two commissioners, city managers and clerks this week. No one responded to multiple requests for information about the accident.
This collapse is one of the first tests of whether Starbase City has an appetite (and will) for transparency while being run by SpaceX Executives. Starbase will also be seen financially at Elon Musk’s SpaceFlight Company. This week, the city completed a $1.5 million loan from SpaceX until September 2025 to fund the city’s operations.
The idea of creating a city called Starbase was first brought to mind in 2021 by masks. However, it did not officially become a city until May of this year. Its citizens (mostly SpaceX employees) voted to include it overwhelmingly. Bobby Peden, vice president of SpaceX’s “Texas Test and Launch,” has become mayor. Jordan Buss, the company’s senior director of Environment, Health and Safety, has become a commissioner. Other commissioner Jenna Petruzelka worked for years at SpaceX.
These officials have been busy shaping new cities in recent weeks. The city notified residents of the newly proposed “mixed-use district” in late May that they “may lose their right to continue using their property.” The city also began building gates with SpaceX’s request to restrict access to the city, citing safety concerns. Bus said at the meeting that Starbase would provide “access codes” and “access codes” to ambulances, firefighters and law enforcement “if the city needs them.”
It is not clear whether these types of emergency services were needed on Tuesday when the crane collapsed. The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office told TechCrunch that it had not received a call from Starbase at the time of the accident. Local firefighters from nearby City of Brownsville and Cameron County did not respond to requests for comment.
According to CNBC, what we know about the collapse is that, apart from seeing it happening, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation.
SpaceX has a history of worker safety issues. However, OSHA research is taking time and the agency is declining due to cuts from the Musk’s Doge project. Mask companies also have no constructive ties with OSHA. In 2019, Tesla refused to allow OSHA inspectors to enter the Nevada factory, even when those inspectors returned with a sheriff’s deputy and warrant signed by a judge.
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