Residents in Boca Chica Village, Texas, near a SpaceX facility in Brownsville received a warning from the Cameron County Office of Emergency Management that tests of the company’s Starhopper prototype on Aug. 26 could break windows in their homes, according to the Brownsville Herald.
The alert stated that flight testing activities from 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET carry “a risk that a malfunction of the SpaceX vehicle during flight will create an overpressure event that can break windows.” Officials wrote in the warning that residents must evacuate their residences at that time to avoid being sprayed with shattered glass: “At a minimum, you must exit your home or structure and be outside of any building on your property… to avoid or minimize the risk of injury.” A police siren will alert locals that the test is about to commence, the Herald wrote.
Sheriff Deputy just hand delivered this notice to me. I guess we will be outside watching the hop. 😅🤠🔥🚀🔥@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/5AJ8XZGdzd
— Mary (@BocaChicaGal) August 24, 2019
It’s reasonable to assume that the overpressure referred to would be the result of the prototype exploding, generating enough force to damage nearby buildings.
The test on Monday is expected to be the last test of the Starhopper, which is a launch system prototype for SpaceX’s ambitious Starship project. Starhopper successfully cleared a prior test in which it rose 65 feet (20 meters) and then landed safely without having to be tethered to the ground in July. On Monday, SpaceX hopes to have Starhopper launch to a full 650 feet (198 meters) before returning to the launchpad; if it’s successful, CEO Elon Musk says he will follow up with a public presentation “hopefully mid-September” giving more details on the project.
