Liquid Nitrogen Discharge Reported at SpaceX Texas Launch Pad
- State, federal regulators confirm discharge at Boca Chica site
- Environmentalists concerned about proximity to wildlife refuge
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An untold amount of liquid nitrogen was released at the SpaceX launch pad in deep South Texas, state and federal regulators said.
Aerial photos taken on July 8 and circulating on social media depict what appears to be a cryogenic liquid and vapors on wetlands next to the launch pad. (From an aerial photo, nitrogen can look like snow on the ground.) The US Fish & Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Galveston office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed the incident to Bloomberg.