Everything Brownsville Mayor John Cowen said at the recent BTX Developers Tour

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., has congratulated SpaceX on the successful fifth flight test of Starship. Scientists say SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket ever created, passed a crucial stage in its development journey on Sunday after engineers successfully caught its booster on the way down. “This achievement is another remarkable step forward in space exploration, and we’re proud to witness such innovation right here in our community,” Cowen said, in a posting on social media. “Great work, SpaceX. We look forward to seeing what’s next.” Brownsville City Manager Helen Ramirez was equally enthusiastic. “Incredibly proud of SpaceX; 3,400-plus employees (at Boca Chica), 70 percent of whom are local,” Ramirez said. “Now is the time to work for SpaceX, City of Brownsville, Texas and companies at the Port of Brownsville, Texas.” SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes the Starship will eventually take humans to Mars. The rocket is designed to be reusable. Capturing a rocket’s booster mid-air, using mechanical arms on the launchpad, is nothing new. Russia has been able to do this with its rockets for some time. SpaceX eventually hopes to catch the upper part of the rocket as well. Mayor Cowen spoke about SpaceX and other big projects currently in the works in Brownsville at a recent BTX Developers Tour. The event was co-hosed by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation. “This particular event is very important for me, to be able to showcase exactly what's happening here. I think everyone realizes the transformation that's happening in Brownsville. We have so many things happening when it comes to SpaceX, when it comes to what's happening at the Port of Brownsville,” Cowen said. Editor's Note: Here is an audio recording of the remarks Mayor Cowen made at the BTX Developers Tour event. Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website to read the full story.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.