MCGREGOR, Texas — If you've been hearing sounds that are "different" coming from SpaceX's Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, the organization said it's due to special elevated testing.
The testing is part of a partnership with NASA to "return American astronauts to the moon for the first time in over 50 years," SpaceX said in a statement last week.
As a result, members of NASA were visiting SpaceX grounds to witness the tests in person.
"The public is not at risk during these tests and we may hear sounds different than what we’re used to," SpaceX said. "... SpaceX wishes to thank the community for its support and apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this might cause you."
Per NASA, the Artemis III is its first human mission to the Lunar South Pole and is currently planned for 2026; no one has ever explored this area.
NASA chose to partner with SpaceX to provide "the human landing system that will transport Artemis III astronauts from Orion in lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back again... After a series of tests, SpaceX will fly at least one uncrewed demo mission that lands Starship on the lunar surface. When Starship has met all of NASA’s requirements and high standards for crew safety, it will be ready for its first Artemis mission."