Cards Against Humanity complained that Musk was building storage for construction materials on its land.

SpaceX is facing allegations of unauthorized land use following a lawsuit filed by Cards Against Humanity, a U.S. adult party game developer, in September 2024, accusing Elon Musk’s company of trespassing on their property for over six months.

The core of the dispute before the Cameron District Court in Texas is a stretch of land in Cameron County, Texas, located near the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River, where several parcels owned by SpaceX are interspersed among plots owned by individuals and small businesses.

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In 2017, Cards Against Humanity purchased one of these parcels thanks to public donations as a sign of protest against the border wall proposed by Donald Trump, intending to preserve the land in its natural state.

In the lawsuit, Cards Against Humanity alleges that SpaceX has used the property for storage and vehicular access, despite fencing and “No Trespassing” signs marking its boundaries. The lawsuit expresses concern that this activity might lead to public perception of collaboration between Cards Against Humanity and SpaceX, potentially harming Cards Against Humanity’s reputation among supporters.

A map showing SpaceX infrastructure and disputed parcels near Rio Grande. Credit: Bellingcat 

Satellite imagery provided by Bellingcat, a collective investigative project, reveals that activity on the land in question has been ongoing for over a year.

By plotting property lines via the Cameron County GIS mapping site, Bellingcat was able to distinguish land owned by SpaceX and Cards Against Humanity. Although the GIS data is approximate, satellite imagery from sources like Planet Explorer and Google Earth Pro confirms construction activity beginning in June 2023 - earlier than the date cited in Cards Against Humanity's complaint.

Satellite images from late May 2023 show the land undisturbed, but by June, tire tracks are visible across multiple lots. By August 2023, vegetation on most of the parcels had been cleared. Structures attributed to SpaceX began appearing in April 2024 and remain visible in satellite images as of October 2024.

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Public records from Cameron County show that SpaceX obtained construction permits in September 2023 and temporary structure permits in February 2024 for their parcels.

Satellite images also reveal activity on nearby parcels not owned by SpaceX or Cards Against Humanity. Two adjacent plots, marked in yellow, display signs of activity over the same period, though there is no evidence that SpaceX intentionally encroached on these properties.

Bellingcat contacted the registered owners of these parcels; one owner declined to comment, while the family of a deceased owner (still listed as the property’s legal owner) said they had agreed to sell the land to SpaceX but were unaware of any recent developments on their land.

Public records obtained by Bellingcat. Credit: Bellingcat

Bellingcat attempted to confirm details with Cameron County’s Appraisal Department, which noted that ownership information on their site may be outdated as legal transfer updates are not mandatory.

SpaceX did not respond to further inquiries on these details before publication. Nor did it release a statement regarding the ongoing legal proceedings.

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