The 806-acre site sits near SpaceX’s starship facilities, a testing ground for its methane-fueled raptor rocket engine. Spacex is locked in a legal fight with a Texas oil company for a plot of land it wants to use to drill for natural gas.

Tim George, an attorney for the SpaceX subsidiary fighting for the land, was quoted as saying methane reserves will be used’in connection with their rocket facility operations’.

Spacex subsidiary Lone Star mineral development LLC demands that Dallas petroleum group, which claims ownership to wells on the land, vacate the wells by the end of 2020. The filings allege that the oil firm does n’t have the right to own them and that it’illegally trespassed and installed a lock on the entry gate’.

Spacex leased the land from mesquite energy in June 2020. Dpg says it maintains the right to the wells on the same plot of land.

None of the Lone Star or SpaceX attorneys involved in the case could be reached for comment. Dpg attorneys also could n’t be reaching for comment.

The case is currently before the railroad commission of Texas. The commission’s three commissioners will vote on the outcome of the case.

Spacex has been conducting test flights of early starship prototypes in Boca chica, Texas. Spacex’s raptor engines power the company’s heavy-lift starship system.

Spacex bought two Deepwater oil rigs for $ 3.5 million each last year. The company plans to turn them into seafaring LaunchPads for starship.