The Texas Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to block the beach closures tied to SpaceX launches in South Texas. The court ruled that environmental groups did not have the right to sue to preserve public access to Boca Chica Beach. The decision allows the closures that clear the way for rocket launches to continue.
The legal fight dates back to 2021. That year, several environmental groups filed suit against the Texas General Land Office and Cameron County over how access to the area around the launch site was being handled.
At the heart of the case was public access to the shoreline. The groups argued that the beach and State Highway 4, the road that runs out toward the site, had been improperly closed off to the public.
The rocket site itself had been licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the reporting, the FAA cleared it after Elon Musk's company showed it could restrict public access to the area during operations.
That ability to limit access was tied to a 2013 state law. The law amended Texas's Open Beaches Act, the statute that governs the public's right to reach and use the state's beaches.
With the Supreme Court declining to let the challenge move forward, the closures for SpaceX launches can remain in place. The ruling is a setback for the environmental groups that had pushed to keep Boca Chica Beach open to the public.