Mexican scientist María Elena Álvarez-Buylla Roces condemned Elon Musk's SpaceX following a recent rocket explosion that resulted in the deaths of several marine animals off the coast of Tamaulipas, in northern Mexico.
During a routine launch test in Texas on June 19, SpaceX's "Starship" rocket experienced a "catastrophic failure and exploded," sending debris to Tamaulipas, a Mexican state about 190 miles from the Starbase facility in Cameron County.
"Unacceptable!" Álvarez-Buylla Roces, a professor of molecular genetics at National Autonomous University of Mexico, wrote in an X post last week. "The debris from a failed SpaceX experiment, one of Elon Musk's companies, threatens life in Northern Tamaulipas."
"How long will we allow the greed of a few to marginalize the majority and endanger or destroy life and our planet?" she added.
¡Inadmisible! Los desechos de un experimento fallido de SpaceX, una de las empresas de Elon Musk, amenazan la vida en el Norte de Tamaulipas. ¿Hasta cuándo se permitirá que la avaricia de pocos margine a las mayorías y ponga en riesgo o destruya la vida y nuestro planeta? pic.twitter.com/Azy7DEK1PV
— María Elena Álvarez-Buylla Roces (@ElenaBuylla) June 19, 2025
Álvarez-Buylla Roces further revealed that a tank in the Mexican state contained "phosphorus in its white form, which is highly reactive upon contact with oxygen." The 65-year-old scientist warned that it poses serious risks to humans, wildlife and the environment. She also noted that other SpaceX debris had fallen into the Gulf of Mexico.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed there was "indeed contamination" detected following the rocket explosion, prompting a formal investigation, Al Jazeera reported.
"We are reviewing everything related to the launching of rockets that are very close to our border," Sheinbaum said at a press conference, adding that officials are assessing potential violations of international law, which could lead to filing the "necessary lawsuits."
Originally published on Latin Times
