A YouTuber posted a video of himself as he trespassed SpaceX's Starship rocket facilities in south Texas, The Verge reported on Thursday, Apr. 8.
The now-deleted video, which was uploaded on the YouTube channel called Loco VlogS, showed the creator named Caesar freely wandering around the site without any security stopping him.
Trespassing SpaceX
The video, which was reposted on Mar. 31 by YouTuber Mortally Challenged, shows Ceasar entering the site and moving around the facility without security intervening.
He was able to record close-ups of the prototype rocket SN11's Raptor engines before running away and shouting, "Guys, I think I broke the law!"
The video garnered at least 100 dislikes before Ceasar took it down and replaced it with an apology video on Apr. 2.
He explained that he understood that what he did was wrong and illegal, but thought at that moment that he will never get another opportunity and decided to go for it.
Ceasar was not the first who managed to enter SpaceX, although he was lucky enough not to be caught.
In Oct. 2019, Business Insider told the story of SpaceX fan JB Wagoner who spent the night in jail after taking close-up photos of the rocket prototype Starhopper.
According to the report, the aspiring space-technology entrepreneur said he did not see any "no trespassing" sign and found large sections of the chain-link fence had been detached.
Hours after taking the photos, the Cameron County Sheriff's Department contacted Wagoner and advised that he turn himself in on suspicion of criminal trespassing.
"I get arrested, I get taken to jail, and spent the night with seven other guys in a 12-by-16 concrete cell, sleeping on the floor," he shared.
Also Read : SpaceX Starship Prototype SN11 that was Successfully Launched Last Week was Destroyed During Landing
Security Surrounding SpaceX Facilities
SpaceX's facility in Texas, which is located just a few miles north of the Rio Grande, has been regarded by space enthusiasts as a museum of rocketry.
For a facility housing millions of dollars worth of tech used for space exploration, it lacks any advanced security measure one might expect from a multi-billion dollar company safeguarding sensitive and potentially dangerous hardware.
"NASA takes safety and security very seriously," said spokesperson Monica Witt, adding that both NASA and SpaceX are aware of the incident and have launched an investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the agency tasked to ensure public safety by regulating launches and launch infrastructure, also confirmed that they are aware of the incident.
The spokesperson for the agency assured that keeping the public safe by maintaining the physical security of the launch facility is of utmost importance.
Meanwhile, SpaceX remained tight-lipped about the incident and did not respond to a request for comment.
Starship SN11 prototype launched on a test flight on Mar. 30 and ended up in bits after a "relatively small" methane leak caused a fire in one of its Raptor engines.
The next prototype rocket in line, Starship SN15, was rolled to the launch site nine days after SN11's crash.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Lee Mercado
