The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder defended the Davis administration’s agreement with SpaceX amid concerns raised over a failed rocket launch last week that scattered debris across parts of the Bahamas.

Speaking in the Senate, Mr Pinder said the government conducted due diligence before entering into any agreement with the Elon Musk-owned aerospace company.

He said officials retained expert counsel on space law and carried out a full evaluation of the operation.

“Even post incident, we continue to do a complete evaluation and we’re tied in on a daily basis on what is happening on recovery, like cleanup and any liability that may exist,” Mr Pinder said.

 He again stressed that last week’s incident was not linked to the government’s current agreement with the SpaceX.

 His comments came after the opposition raised concerns about debris from a SpaceX Starship rocket, which broke apart mid-flight on March 6 and was later found in The Bahamas.

 Debris, including heat shields, was recovered along the coast of Ragged Island and is being tested to determine whether it poses any risk to marine life.

 The search has also expanded to Andros following reports that additional debris may have washed ashore there.

 Environmental watchdogs have also raised alarm, questioning whether the material could be harmful to the environment despite previous assurances.

 “Anything that actually explodes and burns has certain elements in it that can be very destructive to land and to sea and so, you know, I take everything they’re saying about the security of it and how it’s going to be handled and what it’s made of, I take it with a huge grain of salt,” environmentalist Joseph Darville told The Tribune last week.

 Mr Pinder said that when the debris fell, it did so outside the country’s regulatory remit.

 However, he noted The Bahamas has several legislative tools to address aviation and marine-related incidents, including the Environmental Planning and Protection Act.

 He called the latter legislation “probably the most robust” legislation to deal with such incidents in the country.

 The attorney general also pointed to the country’s obligations under international space law, highlighting that The Bahamas is a party to several treaties governing liability for such incidents.

 He added: “Those international space liability treaties make it very clear from an international law point of view, that the launching state, if they are signatory, which United States is those entities who are launching have strict liability.”

 He explained this means launching entities are automatically responsible for remediation, safety measures and any damage caused in foreign jurisdictions - regardless of intent or fault.

 “That is why the next day, SpaceX was in the country doing an assessment with our environmental regulators to see the scope of what had happened and to understand and realise that they bear all of the necessary costs of exposure with respect to that one incident,” Mr Pinder said.

 The government has approved up to 20 landings this year, though each requires regulatory approval. 

 Officials have said they are taking “measurable precautions” by working with environmental experts to monitor potential impacts.