According to the federal agency, the SpaceX Starship launch scattered hundreds of acres of debris and caused a minor bushfire, but did not kill any wildlife. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told SpaceNews on April 26 that it documented the effects of the Starship Complex Test Flight, which departed from Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20 to the nearby Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. That filing began after the highway leading to both the launch site and the bunker closed due to what the agency called “launch pad safety issues,” and it reopened two days after the flight.

The wreckage of the launch pad, damaged by the thrust of the super-heavy accelerator, took the hardest hit. “The effects of the ejection included a large number of large concrete, stainless steel sheet, metal and other objects ejected thousands of feet from the area,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said. It also showed “a cloud of concrete dust accumulating material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the site.” Residents of Port Isabel, Texas, northwest of the launch site, reported finding a thin layer of sandy material after the launch.

No debris was found on the bunker’s property, but the agency said the debris spread across 385 acres owned by SpaceX and Boca Chica State Park. The 3.5-acre fire also started south of the state park, though the Fish and Wildlife Service did not say what caused the fire or how long it burned.

But there was no evidence that the launch and the debris it produced harmed wildlife. “At this time, no dead birds or wildlife have been detected on lands owned or managed by the refuge,” the agency said.

The damage to the panel was seen in the photos taken by the photographers after the launch. They showed extensive damage to the launcher, the stool-like structure on which the machine rests, and the concrete pad beneath it. SpaceX did not release any details about the site damage.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted on April 21 that the thrust from the engines “may have crushed the concrete, not eaten it.” He said this damage was not seen in static fire tests on Feb. 9 because the engines were running at only half their thrust.

He added that the company is working on a “large water-cooled steel plate” that will go under the launcher and act as a kind of flame arrester. The site does not have a frame ditch or other routing system commonly used at launch sites to divert exhaust away from the site. Musk said the wafer wasn’t ready in time, but the company believed, based on static fire data, that the wafer could survive the ejection intact.

Despite being known for his aspirations, Musk said, “It looks like we could be ready for a relaunch in 1-2 months.”

It’s unclear whether the field repair will be a key item for Starship’s next launch attempt. SpaceX has yet to investigate the cause of the launch failure and has made no changes to subsequent vehicles in development. This investigation must be reviewed and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration before issuing a new SpaceX launch license or modifying an existing license that was originally valid for a single launch.

It’s also unclear what additional environmental reviews or assessments may be necessary due to damage from the Starship launch. In June 2022, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed an environmental review of Starship launches, which set more than 75 conditions for SpaceX, which includes a series of activities that must be completed before or after a launch or accident.