Highway 4 & Boca Chica Beach
Starbase Road Closures
Cameron County closes State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches and testing at Starbase. Check the schedule below before you drive out to a viewing spot or the beach.
What Actually Closes
Highway 4 is the only road out to the launch site and Boca Chica Beach. You drive it northeast from Brownsville; the Rio Grande and the Mexican border sit to the south, so there is no way around. On closure days everything past the checkpoint (the orange stretch) is off limits, and the closest you can legally get is the checkpoint itself or South Padre Island, five miles north across the water.
State Highway 4
Your route in, from Brownsville & Boca Chica Blvd
Checkpoint· closure begins
Closure begins here: barricades go up on launch days
Starbase Build Site
SpaceX factory & high bay, right along the road
Launch & Catch Towers
The pad about two miles further east
Boca Chica Beach
Public beach where Highway 4 meets the Gulf
- Brownsville → the beach
- ≈23 mi
- 30–40 min straight out Highway 4
- Build site → launch pad
- ≈2 mi
- Both sit inside the closed stretch
- South Padre Island → the pad
- ≈5 mi
- Across the water. 45–60 min by road
Where you can watch during a closure
Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island
The main public viewing spot, about five miles north of the pad across Brazos Santiago Pass. There is no bridge, so getting there means driving back through Brownsville: roughly 25 miles and 45–60 minutes. It stays open when Highway 4 is closed.
Highway 4, west of the checkpoint
Pull onto the shoulder anywhere before the barricades. Far more distant than the island, but it's the road you already drove in on and costs you nothing.
Scheduled Closures
No closures currently scheduled
The next Starbase launch, Starship | Flight 14, is no earlier than Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (date not yet firm). Cameron County typically posts a closure order 2 to 5 days beforehand.
Closures can be posted at short notice. Confirm at cameroncountytx.gov/spacex.
Recent Past Closures
Wednesday, October 15, 2025: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Possible Closure)
Tuesday, October 14, 2025: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Possible Closure)
Monday, October 13, 2025: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Closure Scheduled. Hwy 4 & Boca Chica will be Closed.)
Road Closure FAQ
Is Boca Chica Beach or Highway 4 closed today?
Cameron County closes State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches and testing. Closure days and times are listed on this page and published officially at cameroncountytx.gov/spacex. For real-time alerts you can also text 'BEACH' to 866-513-3475.
Why does Highway 4 close at Starbase?
State Highway 4 is the only road to the SpaceX launch site and Boca Chica Beach, and it passes close to the pad. Cameron County closes it during launches, static fires, and other hazardous testing to keep the public outside the safety zone. Residents with proof of address between the checkpoints can still reach their homes.
How long do the closures last?
Most closures are scheduled for a block of several hours on a primary date, with one or two alternative (backup) dates in case the activity slips. Actual closures can be lifted early if a test scrubs, or extended if it runs long, so treat the posted times as a window rather than an exact schedule.