SpaceX Aims for the Stars, But Lands in the Ocean
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. You know it as SpaceX. In 2012, word started spreading that the private space company was looking to build a privately owned launch facility. The company currently uses three government-owned launch sites — one in California and the other two in Florida. People in Cameron County were excited because the word around the campfire was Brownsville was in the running to have this private launch facility built in our very own backyard. The local politicians began dreaming of all the revenue a space rocket launch facility would bring to the area.
SpaceX said hundreds of jobs would be created for people living in one of the poorest communities in the United States. These wouldn't be minimum wage jobs, mind you. These were high paying, big ticket, 75,000+ dollar a year jobs that Brownsvillians would have a shot at. Partnerships between local educational institutions were talked about. Engineering programs were said to be tailored to fit all those aerospace jobs we would be getting. Local businessmen, the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and the local Economic Development Councils began drooling at the thought of all the ancillary jobs and businesses that would open because of SpaceX. After all, those engineers and rocket men would need a places to live and eat. All those people who would come down to Brownsville to see the rockets launching into the sky would need places to eat and shop. They would also need hotels to stay in. Maybe if they came to see the rockets launching, they'd stay to visit the zoo, or maybe they'd go to Port Isabel and spend the weekend fishing. The possibilities were endless. SpaceX would ensure Brownsville would no longer be on maps because it was the southernmost city in Texas. Brownsville was going to be something, and SpaceX was going to be the vehicle that was going to take us there.
I was excited about SpaceX. In 2015, the city was looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars to design a new logo for the city. I drew a concept for a logo and I had even incorporated one of SpaceX's Falcon rockets in the design. Regardless of what some may think, originally I thought SpaceX's involvement in Brownsville was going to be a good thing.
The state legislature set things in motion to entice SpaceX to build their launch site here. The local government offered Elon Musk and SpaceX millions of dollars in tax abatements to sweeten the deal. Environmental impact studies were completed — hell, it didn't matter that they wanted to build on one of Brownsville's untouched wildlife habitats. Bulldoze the natural beauty of South Texas. Build your concrete slabs and put up your irradiating satellite dishes. The red carpet was laid out for SpaceX. City, county, and state officials sold our land, and our souls, to a company that promised us the moon and the stars.
The plan was set. SpaceX was going to launch their Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Launch Rockets into the sky from Boca Chica Beach. There would be approximately a dozen of these launches every year. Thousands of space enthusiasts would flock to Brownsville to watch these launches. The city briefly entertained building an observation facility at the landfill. I don't know what city leaders were thinking with that one, but I guess they imagined people would want to drive out to the landfill and take in the wafting aromas of garbage as they excitedly watched rockets blasting off into outer space. South Padre Island built a multi-million dollar amphitheater in the hopes it would attract those same space enthusiasts to witness the launches from the Island.
Not everybody was pleased with the decision to build the launch site in such close proximity to Boca Chica Beach. There are several people who enjoy fishing, off-roading, and partaking in other beach related activities. Those people regularly visit Boca Chica Beach. With the new launch facility, there would be times where beach access would be closed off to the public. There were environmentalists who believed the environmental impact studies were not thorough enough and the construction of the launch site would disturb animals that were native to the area. There was yet another issue that would cause concern. A couple of miles down the road from the SpaceX facility, the small community of Boca Chica Village exists. This village, started in 1967 as Kennedy Shores and later Kopernick Shores, is home to a handful of residents who decided they wanted to live a quiet life close to the Texas coastline. What would become of the residents of Boca Chica Village? Why did SpaceX decide to build their launch facility so close to Boca Chica Village? Would the people be safe from the rockets blasting off just a few miles away from their homes? These questions and concerns were all dismissed. Everything would be fine. People would still have access to the beach, the wildlife would be undisturbed, and the people would be safe. SpaceX would move forward.
But then something happened — the launches didn't come. Rockets didn't start blasting off from the launch pad. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. To date, no Falcon rockets have ever been launched from the site.
Then in late 2018, Elon Musk changed direction for the Brownsville launch facility. There would be no Falcon rockets launching from the facility. There would be no monthly spectacle; no big fireworks show. The Brownsville launch facility would now be used as a test facility for rockets that might eventually be used to colonize Mars. Yes, in a scene reminiscent of a Chappele Show skit, the ringleader of the SpaceX circus hit us with the biggest misdirection of all — all the plans for Brownsville's big economic upswing were crumpled up and thrown in the trash. Instead of a real goal of launching existing rockets that would deliver payloads to the International Space Station, lofty pie-in-the-sky tests to possibly, maybe go to Mars would be the main function of the launch site.
SpaceX's goals moved from the tangible to the theoretical. In one fell swoop, Elon Musk made the Brownsville launch facility an imaginary place where dreams might come true someday.
Herein lies the rub — SpaceX has done nothing but break promises to Brownsville. Because of this shift in priorities, we haven't seen even a fraction of the jobs we were promised. We have not seen tourism increase since there isn't any reason for any of those space enthusiasts to come to Brownsville to see any of the launches we were promised. The Island built an amphitheater whose main purpose will never be fulfilled. And all the while, SpaceX continues to benefit from the millions of dollars in tax exemptions they were given.
I get there are those who will say Brownsville is in position to be the home of the first rocket that will take people to Mars. I understand there are those who applaud Musk and his vision to bring the world, and Brownsville, into the future. That's all well and good, but none of those things are currently helping Brownsville prosper. I'm sure I won't be alive to see the first rocket to go to Mars blast off from Boca Chica Beach. I don't know if that's something that will ever happen. We were not promised jobs and economic prosperity half a century from now. We were promised these things within a few years of SpaceX breaking ground at the Boca Chica site.
We need to stop letting corporations take advantage of Brownsville. We need companies that are interested in the economic prosperity of today's Brownsville. We need people who want to invest in Brownsville and her people right now, not people who want to see something happen two generations down the line. We have been duped and taken advantage of in the past. Titan Tire promised jobs and a state-of-the-art tire manufacturing facility. It was later learned that the only reason the Titan Tire facility was built down here was to scare the workers who were protected by a labor union to go back to work up north. SATA USA, an Italian company that manufactures parts for tractors and vehicles was supposed to create hundreds of jobs and build a state-of-the-art facility in Brownsville's Industrial Park when they made their announcement in 2016. They promised to invest over 114 million dollars in Brownsville. To date, a few dozen people had been hired, they've invested around 10 million dollars, and the company shelved the plans to build a new facility. They also received a 100% tax abatement.
A recent article in The Brownsville Herald says Big River Steel is considering building a new rolled steel plant close to the Port of Brownsville. I can only hope Big River Steel doesn't go the way of SpaceX, Titan Tire, and SATA USA. Our civic leaders, in conjunction with the leaders of the Brownsville Economic Development Council, have to make better decisions for Brownsville's economic future. Brownsville can no longer afford to believe these snake-oil salesmen coming in to town and promising us the moon and the stars. We need real, legitimate leadership to tell these companies Brownsville is not a joke or a place to be taken lightly. We have to be willing to create agreements that will void these company's tax breaks should they fail to come through on their promises.
Forward thinking plans and visions of the future are nice, but they don't put food on the table or roofs over people's heads. We need real jobs and real economic development — not fantasies and pipe dreams.
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. You know it as SpaceX. In 2012, word started spreading that the private space company was looking to build a privately owned launch facility. The company currently uses three government-owned launch sites — one in California and the other two in Florida. People in Cameron County were excited because the word around the campfire was Brownsville was in the running to have this private launch facility built in our very own backyard. The local politicians began dreaming of all the revenue a space rocket launch facility would bring to the area.
SpaceX said hundreds of jobs would be created for people living in one of the poorest communities in the United States. These wouldn't be minimum wage jobs, mind you. These were high paying, big ticket, 75,000+ dollar a year jobs that Brownsvillians would have a shot at. Partnerships between local educational institutions were talked about. Engineering programs were said to be tailored to fit all those aerospace jobs we would be getting. Local businessmen, the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and the local Economic Development Councils began drooling at the thought of all the ancillary jobs and businesses that would open because of SpaceX. After all, those engineers and rocket men would need a places to live and eat. All those people who would come down to Brownsville to see the rockets launching into the sky would need places to eat and shop. They would also need hotels to stay in. Maybe if they came to see the rockets launching, they'd stay to visit the zoo, or maybe they'd go to Port Isabel and spend the weekend fishing. The possibilities were endless. SpaceX would ensure Brownsville would no longer be on maps because it was the southernmost city in Texas. Brownsville was going to be something, and SpaceX was going to be the vehicle that was going to take us there.
I was excited about SpaceX. In 2015, the city was looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars to design a new logo for the city. I drew a concept for a logo and I had even incorporated one of SpaceX's Falcon rockets in the design. Regardless of what some may think, originally I thought SpaceX's involvement in Brownsville was going to be a good thing.
 |
| The author's concept for a new city logo (I know it looks like the cannon is going to shoot the horse in the butt - I fixed it in a later version of the drawing) |
The state legislature set things in motion to entice SpaceX to build their launch site here. The local government offered Elon Musk and SpaceX millions of dollars in tax abatements to sweeten the deal. Environmental impact studies were completed — hell, it didn't matter that they wanted to build on one of Brownsville's untouched wildlife habitats. Bulldoze the natural beauty of South Texas. Build your concrete slabs and put up your irradiating satellite dishes. The red carpet was laid out for SpaceX. City, county, and state officials sold our land, and our souls, to a company that promised us the moon and the stars.
The plan was set. SpaceX was going to launch their Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Launch Rockets into the sky from Boca Chica Beach. There would be approximately a dozen of these launches every year. Thousands of space enthusiasts would flock to Brownsville to watch these launches. The city briefly entertained building an observation facility at the landfill. I don't know what city leaders were thinking with that one, but I guess they imagined people would want to drive out to the landfill and take in the wafting aromas of garbage as they excitedly watched rockets blasting off into outer space. South Padre Island built a multi-million dollar amphitheater in the hopes it would attract those same space enthusiasts to witness the launches from the Island.
Not everybody was pleased with the decision to build the launch site in such close proximity to Boca Chica Beach. There are several people who enjoy fishing, off-roading, and partaking in other beach related activities. Those people regularly visit Boca Chica Beach. With the new launch facility, there would be times where beach access would be closed off to the public. There were environmentalists who believed the environmental impact studies were not thorough enough and the construction of the launch site would disturb animals that were native to the area. There was yet another issue that would cause concern. A couple of miles down the road from the SpaceX facility, the small community of Boca Chica Village exists. This village, started in 1967 as Kennedy Shores and later Kopernick Shores, is home to a handful of residents who decided they wanted to live a quiet life close to the Texas coastline. What would become of the residents of Boca Chica Village? Why did SpaceX decide to build their launch facility so close to Boca Chica Village? Would the people be safe from the rockets blasting off just a few miles away from their homes? These questions and concerns were all dismissed. Everything would be fine. People would still have access to the beach, the wildlife would be undisturbed, and the people would be safe. SpaceX would move forward.
But then something happened — the launches didn't come. Rockets didn't start blasting off from the launch pad. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. To date, no Falcon rockets have ever been launched from the site.
Then in late 2018, Elon Musk changed direction for the Brownsville launch facility. There would be no Falcon rockets launching from the facility. There would be no monthly spectacle; no big fireworks show. The Brownsville launch facility would now be used as a test facility for rockets that might eventually be used to colonize Mars. Yes, in a scene reminiscent of a Chappele Show skit, the ringleader of the SpaceX circus hit us with the biggest misdirection of all — all the plans for Brownsville's big economic upswing were crumpled up and thrown in the trash. Instead of a real goal of launching existing rockets that would deliver payloads to the International Space Station, lofty pie-in-the-sky tests to possibly, maybe go to Mars would be the main function of the launch site.
SpaceX's goals moved from the tangible to the theoretical. In one fell swoop, Elon Musk made the Brownsville launch facility an imaginary place where dreams might come true someday.
Herein lies the rub — SpaceX has done nothing but break promises to Brownsville. Because of this shift in priorities, we haven't seen even a fraction of the jobs we were promised. We have not seen tourism increase since there isn't any reason for any of those space enthusiasts to come to Brownsville to see any of the launches we were promised. The Island built an amphitheater whose main purpose will never be fulfilled. And all the while, SpaceX continues to benefit from the millions of dollars in tax exemptions they were given.
I get there are those who will say Brownsville is in position to be the home of the first rocket that will take people to Mars. I understand there are those who applaud Musk and his vision to bring the world, and Brownsville, into the future. That's all well and good, but none of those things are currently helping Brownsville prosper. I'm sure I won't be alive to see the first rocket to go to Mars blast off from Boca Chica Beach. I don't know if that's something that will ever happen. We were not promised jobs and economic prosperity half a century from now. We were promised these things within a few years of SpaceX breaking ground at the Boca Chica site.
We need to stop letting corporations take advantage of Brownsville. We need companies that are interested in the economic prosperity of today's Brownsville. We need people who want to invest in Brownsville and her people right now, not people who want to see something happen two generations down the line. We have been duped and taken advantage of in the past. Titan Tire promised jobs and a state-of-the-art tire manufacturing facility. It was later learned that the only reason the Titan Tire facility was built down here was to scare the workers who were protected by a labor union to go back to work up north. SATA USA, an Italian company that manufactures parts for tractors and vehicles was supposed to create hundreds of jobs and build a state-of-the-art facility in Brownsville's Industrial Park when they made their announcement in 2016. They promised to invest over 114 million dollars in Brownsville. To date, a few dozen people had been hired, they've invested around 10 million dollars, and the company shelved the plans to build a new facility. They also received a 100% tax abatement.
A recent article in The Brownsville Herald says Big River Steel is considering building a new rolled steel plant close to the Port of Brownsville. I can only hope Big River Steel doesn't go the way of SpaceX, Titan Tire, and SATA USA. Our civic leaders, in conjunction with the leaders of the Brownsville Economic Development Council, have to make better decisions for Brownsville's economic future. Brownsville can no longer afford to believe these snake-oil salesmen coming in to town and promising us the moon and the stars. We need real, legitimate leadership to tell these companies Brownsville is not a joke or a place to be taken lightly. We have to be willing to create agreements that will void these company's tax breaks should they fail to come through on their promises.
Forward thinking plans and visions of the future are nice, but they don't put food on the table or roofs over people's heads. We need real jobs and real economic development — not fantasies and pipe dreams.
Oh how the leaders of BISD were all googly-eyed thinking our kids would automatically get these research and engineering based jobs! What fools those idiots were and still are.....
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate SpaceX swindled us. Had things gone the way they were originally planned, they could have been a tremendous asset in educating future engineers. Brownsville definitely lost out in more ways than one.
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