The New Texan
Central Texas EditionThursday, May 21, 2026

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Texas

Stories from beyond the Travis County line.

STARBASE WATCH

A Worker Died. The Launch Held.

A SpaceX employee died at Starbase on May 19. An OSHA investigation opened. Forty-eight hours later, Starship launched on schedule.

These entries reconstruct the documented regulatory and operational record at SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas over the twelve months ending May 2026 — a period that produced seven federal workplace safety violations, a worker fatality, an open OSHA investigation, and a launch that proceeded on schedule.

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The New Texan staff · May 20