Coryell County residents join lawsuit over SpaceX testing damage claims

Dozens of Central Texas homeowners, including 76 plaintiffs from McLennan and Coryell counties, have accused SpaceX of damaging houses near its McGregor test site through years of rocket engine testing that they say sent noise and vibration into nearby neighborhoods.

The lawsuit was filed April 30 in McLennan County’s 414th District Court and seeks more than $1 million in damages, along with a jury trial. It names communities including McGregor, Moody, Crawford and Oglesby, and says SpaceX’s static-fire testing has caused structural problems ranging from cracked foundations to shifting homes, broken windows and damaged doors.

Static-fire tests are a core part of rocket development. Engines are fastened to a test structure and ignited without liftoff, which lets engineers measure performance before flight. The plaintiffs say that process has not stayed contained inside the company’s 4,000-acre facility. Instead, they contend the blasts and ground vibration have become frequent enough to wear down nearby homes, with some burns happening nearly every day and sometimes more than once a day. One example in the filing describes more than 20 tests over five days.

The suit also argues that SpaceX knew about the damage through complaints and repair claims but failed to take enough action. For Coryell County residents, the filing is especially direct because it includes local plaintiffs and names Oglesby among the affected communities, putting the dispute squarely in the category of property damage and neighborhood quality of life, not just a broader debate over aerospace growth.

SpaceX has described the McGregor site as a rocket development facility used to test engines, vehicle structures and systems, with 16 specialized test stands. The company says testing there validates every Merlin engine used on Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy and every Draco thruster used on Dragon. Federal Aviation Administration records show formal environmental review activity at the site at least as early as 2011 and 2014.

This is not the first legal fight tied to SpaceX’s McGregor operations. A 2023 KCEN report said China Spring resident Edward Leslie alleged a Feb. 22, 2023 launch damaged his home, and that SpaceX had been testing rockets at McGregor since 2003. The new case suggests the dispute over who pays when high-profile industrial testing damages private property is moving deeper into court.