The Space Race that cemented itself as a definitive feature of the latter half of the 20th century is long over. With the success of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon and the capitulation of the Soviet Union leaving no primary competitor to the American space program, it appears as if much of the interest in space and the fervor of developing new spacefaring technologies is a thing of the past.
However, a recent public resurgence of interest has rekindled the Space Race, albeit in a more minor fashion, and this time, in the private sector. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk created SpaceX in 2002, the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and successfully recover it back on Earth. Elon Musk’s vision for SpaceX is to “[enable] people to live on other planets,” according to the SpaceX official website. In order to accomplish this far-reaching and hopeful vision, development must first occur of technology and the acquisition of land for their facilities.
One such facility, the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site was first announced in August 2014, with the first launches performed there in April of this year. “SpaceX is excited to expand our work in Texas with the world’s first commercial launch complex,” said Musk in a written statement that year .“In addition to creating hundreds of high-tech jobs for the Texas workforce, this site will inspire students, expand the supplier base, and attract tourists to the South Texas area.”
However, the establishment of the South Texas Launch Site is not without its problems. Despite clearing Federal Aviation Administration inspections, the launch site has come into contention with the local residents of Boca Chica Village. As operations ramp up, it became clear to SpaceX that the existence of the launch site can pose a threat to Boca Chica Village.
“I think the actual danger to Boca Chica Village is low, it’s not tiny,” Musk said in September, quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “Probably over time, [it’s] better to buy out the villagers. And we’ve made an offer to that respect.”
According to the same Los Angeles Times article, SpaceX is offering residents of the village three times the market value for their property. Some residents, however, expected to continue negotiating with the company after the deadline for their offer had expired. Some homeowners even refused to accept the offer from SpaceX.
It is entirely possible that instead of a more generous offer, SpaceX can subject the residents of Boca Chica to a declaration of eminent domain, and with the approval of Cameron County, essentially forcibly vacating the village.
“It’s a tough situation,” says Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. in the Brownsville Herald. “I certainly understand the homeowner’s frustration with the current and recent development, but when you’ve got the possibility of a new space industry being developed in your region, one that is sorely lacking in good paying, technological, modern-type jobs, I think as a county judge, I have to look at the big picture.”