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Public story · 2026-08-31 · high
The Bastrop foundry makes parts for the same turbines already tied to a Memphis pollution complaint.
Why now: TechCrunch reported the land deal and its timeline on August 30.
SpaceX bought 830 acres in Bastrop, Texas, between March and June to build a foundry for single-crystal turbine blades and vanes, according to a TechCrunch report published August 30. Research cited on Virginia's Data Center Alley ties eight gas turbines to 3.4 to 6.5 additional premature deaths a year. The same turbines carry $53 million to $99 million in annual health damages, the research found.
Musk says building blades in-house gets a gas turbine online up to 18 months faster than waiting on outside suppliers. Those blades and vanes run at 3,000 to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit inside the turbine, and only four companies worldwide can cast them, TechCrunch reported.
Those are the same turbines already running the Colossus data centers in Memphis, where the NAACP has alleged unpermitted operation.
TechCrunch's report doesn't say whether Bastrop's output will supply Memphis directly, or how permitting there compares to the scrutiny in Tennessee. If SpaceX starts running its own turbines somewhere it doesn't already control the land and permits, the Memphis pattern is what to watch for.
Each link below shares sources, entities, or timing with this story.
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Shared topic / Earlier coverage
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover Colossus, Memphis, SpaceX; overlapping topics (center, data, spacex).
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Same source domain / Earlier coverage
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover August, SpaceX, TechCrunch; reported by the same outlet (techcrunch.com).
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover Colossus, Memphis, Musk; reported by the same outlet (techcrunch.com).
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Earlier coverage / Tension
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover Colossus, Memphis, SpaceX; earlier Colossus coverage from 2026-06-26.
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Same source domain / Earlier coverage / Tension
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover August, TechCrunch; reported by the same outlet (techcrunch.com).
Colossus uses NVIDIA / Shared entities / Same source domain / Earlier coverage / Downstream implication
Linked by a graph relationship (Colossus uses NVIDIA); both cover August, TechCrunch; reported by the same outlet (techcrunch.com).
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Shared topic / Earlier coverage / Tension
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover Colossus, Memphis; overlapping topics (center, data).
Anthropic invested in Colossus / Shared entities / Earlier coverage
Linked by a graph relationship (Anthropic invested in Colossus); both cover Colossus, Memphis, SpaceX; earlier Colossus coverage from 2026-05-07.