Environmental consequences of Starship launches from Starbase, located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas near the border with Mexico, have been studied for many years. SpaceX has received environmental clearances from the federal government for Starship launches, although some local residents and environmental activists oppose them.
30 April 2026 In 2018, a lawsuit against SpaceX was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, submitted by dozens of local residents, in which it is noted, that their homes had been damaged by previous Starship launches. Plaintiffs, who mostly live in the cities of Port Isabel and South Padre Island - the two closest settlements to Starbase, - they claim, that the intense noise of the engines during the launch of the Starship, the return of the Super Heavy booster, and shock waves caused damage to their homes.
The complaint does not cite specific examples of Starship's damages, but noise and pressure levels are discussed, which, according to the plaintiffs, exceed thresholds, causing structural damage. Measurement, conducted by researchers during the launch in October 2024 year, recorded peak levels of start-up noise over 110 decibel (level, in which structural damage is possible) at a distance of 35 kilometers from the site. The same flight also generated shock waves during the Super Heavy's return to the pad — with an excess pressure of more than five pounds per square foot within 15 kilometers from the site, what, according to some estimates, достатньо для пошкодження вікон і конструкцій.
Damage from launch noise and shock waves has been a problem for other Starship sites as well. In November 2025 year at the time of decision, which allowed SpaceX to build the Starship pad at SLC-37 in Cape Canaveral, the environmental assessment mentioned "relatively high levels of noise and overpressure" during launches and landings. The main concern was "inconvenience to the community", but the report noted, that some structures inside the spaceport itself may also be damaged.
Source: https://spacenews.com