SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster descends toward the launch tower at Starbase, moments before being caught by the tower’s mechanical “chopstick” arms. The maneuver was first successfully completed during Starship’s fifth flight test in October 2024.
By JACQI LEYVA-HILL
Special to the PRESS
A South Padre Island attorney is raising concerns about property damage that he says homeowners across the Laguna Madre area are reporting as SpaceX continues Starship launches from Boca Chica.
Michael Moore, a property damage attorney with Moore Law Firm, said his interest in the issue became personal after he noticed cracks in the walls and fogging in double-pane windows at his own South Padre Island home.
“After a few launches, we learned firsthand just how powerful they are,” Moore said. “The noise is extreme, and the ground shakes like an earthquake.”
Moore said homeowners in Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Laguna Vista and Laguna Heights have reported similar damage. His firm, which he said has handled property damage claims across Texas for more than 35 years, has offices in McAllen and South Padre Island.
According to Moore, reports vary depending on a property’s proximity to the launch site. He said homeowners have reported cracked drywall, broken windows, foundation cracks, tile-roof damage and cracked swimming pools, along with walls shaking and pictures falling during launches. Moore said his firm has documented damage as far as 11 miles from the launch site and has received reports from property owners farther away, including Bayview.
He said complaints have increased in both number and severity as launches have continued.
Moore emphasized that his firm does not assume every crack or defect is launch-related. He said some wall cracks are caused by normal settling and can be addressed with routine repairs. To distinguish ordinary deterioration from possible launch-related damage, Moore said the firm has retained structural engineers to inspect properties and evaluate each case individually.
“We don’t rely on guesswork,” Moore said.
For homeowners who believe their property may have been damaged, Moore recommends documenting conditions with photographs and video, keeping repair estimates and receipts, and recording newly discovered damage with dates. He also cautioned homeowners against waiting too long to seek advice, saying Texas property-damage claims are subject to statutes of limitations and that insurance coverage may be disputed.
Moore said the firm’s upcoming community meetings are intended to be both educational and practical, giving residents information about reported damage while allowing property owners to discuss their individual situations.
His goal, he said, is for homeowners who can demonstrate damage to be made whole and for SpaceX to develop ways to reduce the effects of sonic booms and vibration on surrounding communities.
“If these launches are causing the damage we’re seeing, then if you break it, you pay for it,” Moore said.
Moore Law Firm will host three community meetings at the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center on Aug. 26, Sept. 3 and Sept. 16. Moore said the meetings will run from 1 to 6 p.m. each day and are open to residents without an appointment.