The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

A TEAM from the American-based SpaceX rocket programme yesterday arrived in Abaco tasked with the identification and retrieval of debris believed to be a part of the group’s Falcon 9 rocket that crashed into a floating barge while attempting to land in April.

Last weekend a group of volunteer firefighters from the Elbow Cay area of Abaco recovered “a massive metal structure” from waters near Hope Town.

Troy Pritchard, the group’s spokesman, indicated that earlier this week they were contacted by company representatives who explained “in detail” the origin and nature of the structure they had recovered.

Mr Pritchard said that following a discussion between the two groups, officials of SpaceX determined that they would dispatch a team to Abaco to retrieve the debris.

The discovery of the debris sparked interest on social media, with Bahamas Sport Fishing Network (BSFN) reporting that photographs posted on their Facebook page went viral, attracting an audience of over 50,000 within a few hours.

Posters speculated on the origin of the wreckage, suggesting it could be from the missing Malaysian flight MH370 or space junk, BSFN founder Brooks Russell told The Tribune.

In mid-April the Falcon 9 rocket crashed during its attempt to land on a barge positioned in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after it assisted with the firing of a shipment of groceries to the International Space Station (ISA).

The SpaceX programme was hired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to aid in the delivery of shipments to the ISA after the discontinuation of the space agency’s space shuttle.

According to international reports, the crash of the “first-stage booster rocket” marks the second crash in as many attempts to land the rocket.

Despite the failures, the company intends to continue until successful. Officials have plans to attempt the landing again with sources naming the June 19 launch for the group’s next Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX was founded in 2002.