SpaceX could tunnel to allow frequent launches in South Texas

As SpaceX has stepped up its Starship test and launch activities in South Texas in recent years, the company has more frequently called for the closure of the Boca Chica Freeway. This two-lane road runs alongside the company’s rocket assembly and launch facilities.

Residents of South Texas use the freeway primarily to travel from Brownsville and neighboring towns to Boca Chica Beach, the southernmost beach in Texas. When the road is closed, no one can access or stay on the beach.

This situation has become a logistical headache for SpaceX, which seeks to close roads for moving rocket material along the route and for tests and launches. It was also unpleasant for neighboring residents and those who enjoy the undeveloped beach.

Now SpaceX founder Elon Musk has a potential solution. The Brownsville Herald reports that officials from Musk’s The Boring Company met with Cameron County officials in July to discuss tunneling from the south end of South Padre Island to the north end of the beach in Boca Chica, facilitating alternative access to the barrier island.

Such a tunnel would serve several purposes. It could allow the public to access the beach at all times except during launch attempts and high pressure tests. It could also dramatically shorten the daily commutes for SpaceX employees who live on South Padre Island, Port Isabel, and other places that would otherwise be more than an hour’s drive from the ‘Starbase’ facilities. company in Boca Chica.

The distance from South Padre Island to the northern tip of Boca Chica Beach is less than half a mile, but the path goes under a shipping channel, so the tunnel should be dug deep enough into the ground. The Boring Company has already dug a tunnel, a 1.7-mile project in Las Vegas that cost $ 52 million. County officials are reportedly unwilling to pay for the project in South Texas, the newspaper said.

The Boca Chica tunnel remains a concept for now, and the status of discussions between SpaceX and Cameron County officials is unclear. The project can be put on hold until SpaceX completes an environmental review with the Federal Aviation Administration. If the company gets federal clearance to launch its Starship vehicle from Starbase, SpaceX will likely invest in developing the facility as a launch site.

This would likely lead to the construction of the tunnel, as it would allow the company to frequently, if not completely, shut down the Boca Chica highway for its launch activities.