Heavy rainfall on the Texas Gulf Coast led to flooding in South Texas which is home to SpaceX’s Starbase facility where the Starship spaceship is being tested.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Rain bands and winds from Tropical Storm Francine have been lapping at the South Texas coast, home to SpaceX‘s spaceport called Starbase.
Video recorded Monday shows water from the Gulf of Mexico pushing into Brownsville with the Starbase facility in the distance. Starbase is where SpaceX continues to test and develop the reusable Starship spacecraft, which completed its most successful spaceflight this summer.
“Starbase is a river right now,” wrote Anthony Gomez on X with a video of the flooding.
SpaceX Starship launches from Boca Chica, Texas on June 6, 2024 marking the fourth flight test for the company’s reusable mega rocket.
(SpaceX)
Slow-moving Francine has been a rainmaker before even making landfall. More than 4 inches of rain have already fallen in Brownsville, with higher totals of up to 7 inches in northeastern Mexico. Rainfall is expected to continue through Tuesday, with the heaviest rainfall falling throughout the day and into Wednesday night.
Another video from South Padre Island, a popular spot to watch SpaceX’s Starbase launches, showed strong winds and rain from Tropical Storm Francine.
According to the National Weather Service in Brownsville, beaches in Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy counties are under a coastal flood advisory through Tuesday night. Seawater is pushing in and reaching the dunes on South Padre Island, limiting access to vehicles with high-wheel bases.
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On Tuesday, a Flash Flood Warning remained in place for southern Cameron County, which includes South Padre Island and Brownsville.
Flooding in Brownsville, Texas near the SpaceX Starbase facility on Sept. 9, 2024.
Francine is forecast to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday, bringing dangerous storm surge and damaging winds from East Texas to Mississippi.
SpaceX experienced rainy conditions at two spaceports this week, including in Florida, where a stalled front brought days of rain.
SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission, the first private spacewalking mission, after multiple delays due to Florida’s recent rainy weather pattern.
Despite the stormy weather, the company founded by Elon Musk was able to launch the Polaris Dawn mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday morning. The four-person private crew will spend about six days in space before a splashdown on either Florida coast. Weather will again be crucial as SpaceX needs safe recovery conditions for the Dragon to splashdown.