CNN
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The shards arrive at Rockets Wake: molten plastic, aluminum, and fragments of blue adhesive. The sands of Baghdad Beach, north of Tamaulipas, Mexico, contain endangered sea turtle species. Crossing the border, you will find SpaceX’s Launchpad, Company Town and Starbase.
Conibio Global, a non-governmental organization since November, has been doing a difficult task to clean Trash from SpaceX, one of the world’s most powerful companies.
Conibio Global founder Hesús Elías Ibarra told CNN he witnessed one of SpaceX’s launches in November 2024 and saw one of the rocket boosters fall into the Gulf of Mexico. At that time, Ibarra says that he arrived at at least three helicopters and more than 10 boats a few hours later, and people arrived to clean it. CNN contacted SpaceX and asked if they were responsible for this cleanup.
But in May there was another launch with more debris. Now, activists claim that millions of particles have contaminated the Mexican area. Ibarra said a few days later, the organization had collected a large amount of waste on an area of 500 meters.
“We’ve already collected a ton (of garbage) in 0.5 km of the 40-kilometer coastline,” Ibarra added. “We’re a very small group. It’s impossible to clean everything up.”
Ibarra said Conibio Global handed the wreckage to Profepa, the Mexican government’s Environmental Protection Agency.
In response to an inquiry from CNN, SpaceX refers to what it published on social media site X on June 26th, claiming it provided resources and support for its cleanup efforts. The company allegedly requested local and federal government support from the Mexican government to recover debris. Under the Treaty of Space, SpaceX is entitled to return the shard.
The statement added that the company has conducted tests claiming it does not confirm that there is no chemical, biological or toxicological risk associated with the typical SpaceX launches Flotsam and Jetsam.
CNN has contacted Tamaulipas authorities and the Mexican presidency about SpaceX’s offer and is waiting for a response.
Ibarra said Conibio Global has not been in touch with the company.
Marlon Sorge, executive director of Aerospace Corporation for Debris Re Entry Studies (Cords), told CNN in an email that it’s best not to touch any fragments of the universe if they are found.
“Many debris is not dangerous, but spaceflight vehicles can contain dangerous chemicals and materials,” writes Sorge. “Please note that touching debris is not worth the risk, and that it can interfere with important investigations.”
Some of the objects found during the cleanup operation are solid, sponge-like plastic, rubber with cork-like consistency, aluminum with SpaceX labels, plastic foam wrap, steel tubes, and fragments of blue adhesive.
Thorns predict that some of the garbage could be consumed by the Redriedertles of Kemp, the endangered sea turtle that lives in the area.
SpaceX says it is working on minimizing impacts as much as possible, improving the environment, and highlighting agreements between various US agencies and the Texas government.
After the recent explosion of SpaceX Rocket on June 19, the NGO reported that several large fragments had appeared on Mexican territory the following morning. Several Mexican government officials said they could contact them and let them know the situation.
Conibio follows SpaceX’s social media announcement to find out when it will be released, go to the site to go and collect evidence of the shards they know they will fall. He says this will occur in the northern region of Baghdad Beach and in the communal farmland plots of Matamoros nearby.
After a sustained public complaint, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was voiced at her daily meeting on June 25th.
Sheinbaum said her government discovered that there was indeed pollution and that the impact of rocket launches will generally be reviewed to take action, including legal action, in order to take action “within the framework of international law.”
Ibarra, who is also a veterinarian and director of the Marine Tultle program at Conibio Global, said he believes the vibrations produced by the rockets will compact the sand with the turtle nests and prevent them from appearing. He said at least 300 hatching have died in the compressed nest.
“The final explosion burns, the entire edge of Rio Bravo is on fire, and there are vegetation that has broken down many trees where pipes have fallen near the population of many people,” Ibarra said. He added that in several border cities between Tamaulipas and Texas, it was reported that there was slight damage to the house due to vibrations from the rocket.
A team of environmental staff and staff members from the Mexican Navy Secretariat collected the waste conibio collected last weekend, and during the visit, the thorns found stainless steel pipes about 4 meters long and weighing about 5 kg.
Addressing waste cleaning will cost NGOs more than US$26,000 and beach monitoring for the vehicle fuel used, workers’ wages, and cleaning materials, the organization claims.
Ibarra pointed out that the Mexican government has been working with them, especially as foreign companies are involved. He claimed that he was “harassed” in one of his visits by the SpaceX drones they’re recording.
SpaceX did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on Ibarra’s allegations.
CNN also contacted the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Tamaulipas government regarding comments on Ibarra’s statement.
In a statement on SpaceX’s social media, the company said debris is its property and its attempt to recover is hampered by individuals who “trespass” without authorizing private property.
CNN asked the governments of SpaceX and Tamaulipas about what private property the company refers to.
The Tamaulipas government has always expressed its desire for a joint relationship with SpaceX. Governor Américo Villarreal visited Starbase in November 2024.
Although the large rocket portion has been removed, Ibarra says that trash remains a major problem in Baghdad Beach.
“The wreckage is still there,” Ibarra said. “The tide fills it, so it no longer looks like the picture, but it’s there and needs to be removed sooner or later.”
CNN’s Deblina Chakraborty and Jackie Wattles contributed the report.
