The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

DEBRIS from a SpaceX Starship rocket that broke apart mid-flight on March 6 has been located and recovered in The Bahamas, with officials conducting environmental assessments to determine whether the fragments pose any risks, the Office of the Prime Minister said yesterday.

The rocket, launched from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, was intended to re-enter over the Indian Ocean, but it lost communication and disintegrated about nine minutes into the flight. The event was visible from Florida, Cuba, The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos.

In the aftermath, OPM said the Bahamian government has been working with SpaceX to assess and remove debris from the country’s waters. A SpaceX recovery team arrived in The Bahamas on March 7 and began coordinating with officials. The Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) has taken the lead in overseeing the process to ensure that all operations meet environmental and public safety standards.

On March 8, the DEPP director and a SpaceX team conducted an initial assessment in Crooked Island, surveying deep and shallow waters as well as the coastline. No debris was found that day, but reports of fragments near Ragged Island began circulating on social media, according to OPM.

The next day, March 9, senior DEPP officials joined SpaceX’s recovery team for further operations. Aerial reconnaissance successfully identified debris near Ragged Island, prompting recovery efforts that led to the retrieval of several items. Officials said work would continue in the area, with underwater recovery operations set to begin on March 10.

OPM said while US regulatory agencies have determined that the materials composing the rocket debris — stainless steel and silica-based heatshield tiles — do not pose risks to water quality, air quality, or marine life, Bahamian authorities have launched their own independent environmental assessments. These will include testing for toxic contaminants such as residual rocket fuel and assessing any potential seabed disruption caused by the falling debris. Water and air quality sampling will also be conducted.

The government has advised the public to exercise caution if they encounter any debris, warning that some materials may have sharp edges. Anyone who finds debris is urged to report it to local government officials rather than attempt to handle it.

SpaceX has committed to covering all costs associated with debris removal and environmental assessments, the government said. Officials said recovery operations would continue until all debris is accounted for and that final assessments and findings would be shared with the public once the process is complete.

OPM again stressed that the Starship is different from SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rockets.

OPM said: “Falcon 9 is a partially-reusable rocket used for missions which include launching satellites or bringing cargo to the International Space Station, with a long track record of success.

The Starship is a substantially more powerful rocket, intended for long-distance and long-duration missions, that is still in development, with operations falling under the jurisdiction of the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“The Bahamas’ agreement with Space X involves only controlled Falcon 9 booster landings in

Bahamian waters, which are governed by the Bahamas’ Civil Aviation (Space Flight and Re-Entry)

“Regulations, including planning, licensing, and monitoring requirements. Each separate Falcon 9 re-entry requires a separate license from the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas.”