Mexico Sanctions SpaceX for Unauthorized Activities

The Mexican government will sanction SpaceX for conducting unauthorized activities in the country’s territorial waters, following the fall of debris from the company’s Starship rocket in the Gulf of Mexico, officials confirmed.

Admiral Raymundo Morales, Head, Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR), said SpaceX contracted a platform to recover parts of the Starship rocket that exploded shortly after launch months ago. The platform operated near Playa Bagdad, Tamaulipas, but did not comply with required permits and was ordered to withdraw.

“The platform had permission to enter the country but did not meet the requirements to operate and has already been removed. We are reviewing sanctions because they conducted work without permission, and that will be presented later,” Morales said.

When asked about the nature of potential sanctions, the admiral said, “We have to review international regulations. We are working on that and expect to have something next week.”

The controversy intensified after the environmental organization Conibio Global confirmed the presence of the debris and the SpaceX-contracted platform with visual and geolocation evidence.

President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged that the Starship debris caused environmental damage. She said several government agencies, including the ministries of Environment, Navy, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and the Digital Transformation Agency, have nearly completed a study on the impact.

“We are finalizing the study, which various agencies are conducting, and we will present it soon because there are indeed impacts on our country. The legal and juridical aspects are also under review,” Sheinbaum said.

The president added that authorities are also evaluating legal actions against SpaceX for environmental harm caused by the incident.

The SpaceX Starship rocket, designed for an uncrewed Mars mission planned for 2026, remains under close scrutiny after the incident in Mexican waters highlighted regulatory and environmental challenges related to space debris management.