BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Residents from miles away reported hearing, and feeling, the SpaceX launch that took place Saturday morning.
Thirty-three Raptor engines powered the super heavy booster from the Boca Chica launch site. Many residents, however, were unaware the launch was happening and woke to a thundering surprise.
Brownsville resident Noel Rangel said he knows SpaceX puts out notices that a launch is happening soon, but he hadn’t been paying attention.
“I was not aware it was happening this morning, so I was thrown off when the windows were trembling in my apartment.”, Rangel said.
Many people we spoke with say they quickly checked their social media accounts to see what was going on.
“There were memes circulating already of the launch this morning.”, Rangel said.
Another Brownsville resident, Jesus Garcia, said his windows were rattling, and he thought it might have been an earthquake.
“I figured out like after two hours because I went on my Snapchat stories and everyone was posting about it,” Gacia said.
Brownsville Police said they received quite a few 911 calls about houses shaking. Dispatchers had to explain that a rocket had recently launched. Police say no injuries or property damage was reported.
Rangel said he’s surprised this is the first launch where he could feel the effects in his home.
Rangel said, “I know a lot of folks go out to see it, and they feel it out there, but this is the first time I think folks, directly in Brownsville, felt something from a launch.”
The Cameron County Emergency Coordinator said his office hadn’t received any calls about the launch.
One woman we spoke with, who lives near the Port of Brownsville, said her house shook so badly she was afraid it might fall down. Most everyone else said the biggest problem the launch caused was not being able to sleep in on a Saturday morning.
