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How SpaceX's rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas

How SpaceX's rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas

TimesLIVE5 days ago
The Falcon 9 rocket can carry heavier payloads and more satellites to space if its booster is allowed to land in Bahamian territory, SpaceX says.
SpaceX's deal with the Bahamas, the government said, also included a $1m donation to the University of Bahamas, where the company pledged to conduct quarterly seminars on space and engineering topics. The company must pay a $100,000 fee per landing, pursuant to the country's space regulations it enacted in preparation for the SpaceX activities.
The Falcon 9 booster landings could resume later this summer, two Bahamian officials said.
Holding things up is the government's examination of a SpaceX report on the booster landing's environmental impact, as well as talks among officials to amend the country's space re-entry regulations to codify a better approval process and environmental review requirements, one of the sources said.
Arana Pyfrom, assistant director at the Bahamas' department of environmental planning and protection, said SpaceX's presence in the country is 'polarising'. Many Bahamians, he said, have voiced concerns to the government about their safety from Starship debris and pollution to the country's waters.
'I have no strong dislike for the exploration of space, but I do have concerns about the sovereignty of my nation's airspace,' Pyfrom said. 'The Starship explosion just strengthened opposition to make sure we could answer all these questions.'
STARSHIP FAILURES ROCK ISLANDS
Starship exploded about nine and a half minutes into flight on March 6 after launching from Texas, in what the company said was likely the result of an automatic self-destruct command triggered by an issue in its engine section. It was the second consecutive test failure after a similar mid-flight explosion in January rained debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands, a nearby British overseas territory.
Matthew Bastian, a retired engineer from Canada, was anchored in his sailboat on vacation near Ragged Island, a remote island chain in southern Bahamas, just after sunset when he witnessed Starship's explosion. What he initially thought was a rising moon quickly became an expanding fireball that turned into a 'large array of streaking comets'.
'My initial reaction was 'wow that is so cool,' then reality hit me — I could have a huge chunk of rocket debris crash down on me and sink my boat!' he said. 'Fortunately that didn't happen, but one day it could happen to someone.'
Thousands of cruise ships, ferries, workboats, fishing boats, yachts and recreational sailboats ply the waters around Caribbean islands each year, maritime traffic that is crucial for the Bahamas tourism industry.
Within days of the explosion, SpaceX dispatched staff and deployed helicopters and speedboats to swarm Ragged Island and nearby islands, using sonar to scan the seafloor for debris, four local residents and a government official told Reuters. On the surface, recovery crews hauled the wreckage from the water and transferred it onto a much larger SpaceX vessel, typically used to catch rocket fairings falling back from space, the people said.
The SpaceX team included its vice-president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, who emphasised in a news conference with local reporters that the rocket is entirely different from the Falcon 9 boosters that would land off the Exuma coast under SpaceX's agreement.
Joe Darville, chair of a local environmental organisation called Save The Bays, was angered by the Starship debris, as well as what he described as a 'deal done totally in secret' over the Falcon 9 agreement. As Bahamian waters become increasingly polluted and coral reefs shrink, he's unhappy with the lack of transparency in his government's dealings with SpaceX.
'Something like that should have never been made without consultation of the people in the Bahamas,' he said.
Pyfrom, the official from the Bahamas' environmental agency, said the review of the SpaceX report and the approval process will show 'where we fell short, and what we need to improve on'.
SpaceX, meanwhile, is forging ahead with Starship. Musk said earlier this month he expects the next Starship rocket to lift off within the next three weeks.
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The Falcon 9 rocket can carry heavier payloads and more satellites to space if its booster is allowed to land in Bahamian territory, SpaceX says. SpaceX's deal with the Bahamas, the government said, also included a $1m donation to the University of Bahamas, where the company pledged to conduct quarterly seminars on space and engineering topics. The company must pay a $100,000 fee per landing, pursuant to the country's space regulations it enacted in preparation for the SpaceX activities. The Falcon 9 booster landings could resume later this summer, two Bahamian officials said. Holding things up is the government's examination of a SpaceX report on the booster landing's environmental impact, as well as talks among officials to amend the country's space re-entry regulations to codify a better approval process and environmental review requirements, one of the sources said. Arana Pyfrom, assistant director at the Bahamas' department of environmental planning and protection, said SpaceX's presence in the country is 'polarising'. Many Bahamians, he said, have voiced concerns to the government about their safety from Starship debris and pollution to the country's waters. 'I have no strong dislike for the exploration of space, but I do have concerns about the sovereignty of my nation's airspace,' Pyfrom said. 'The Starship explosion just strengthened opposition to make sure we could answer all these questions.' STARSHIP FAILURES ROCK ISLANDS Starship exploded about nine and a half minutes into flight on March 6 after launching from Texas, in what the company said was likely the result of an automatic self-destruct command triggered by an issue in its engine section. It was the second consecutive test failure after a similar mid-flight explosion in January rained debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands, a nearby British overseas territory. Matthew Bastian, a retired engineer from Canada, was anchored in his sailboat on vacation near Ragged Island, a remote island chain in southern Bahamas, just after sunset when he witnessed Starship's explosion. What he initially thought was a rising moon quickly became an expanding fireball that turned into a 'large array of streaking comets'. 'My initial reaction was 'wow that is so cool,' then reality hit me — I could have a huge chunk of rocket debris crash down on me and sink my boat!' he said. 'Fortunately that didn't happen, but one day it could happen to someone.' Thousands of cruise ships, ferries, workboats, fishing boats, yachts and recreational sailboats ply the waters around Caribbean islands each year, maritime traffic that is crucial for the Bahamas tourism industry. Within days of the explosion, SpaceX dispatched staff and deployed helicopters and speedboats to swarm Ragged Island and nearby islands, using sonar to scan the seafloor for debris, four local residents and a government official told Reuters. On the surface, recovery crews hauled the wreckage from the water and transferred it onto a much larger SpaceX vessel, typically used to catch rocket fairings falling back from space, the people said. The SpaceX team included its vice-president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, who emphasised in a news conference with local reporters that the rocket is entirely different from the Falcon 9 boosters that would land off the Exuma coast under SpaceX's agreement. Joe Darville, chair of a local environmental organisation called Save The Bays, was angered by the Starship debris, as well as what he described as a 'deal done totally in secret' over the Falcon 9 agreement. As Bahamian waters become increasingly polluted and coral reefs shrink, he's unhappy with the lack of transparency in his government's dealings with SpaceX. 'Something like that should have never been made without consultation of the people in the Bahamas,' he said. Pyfrom, the official from the Bahamas' environmental agency, said the review of the SpaceX report and the approval process will show 'where we fell short, and what we need to improve on'. SpaceX, meanwhile, is forging ahead with Starship. Musk said earlier this month he expects the next Starship rocket to lift off within the next three weeks.

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