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SpaceX Starship rocket to fly over Bahamas on Tuesday night

Published:Tuesday | May 27, 2025 | 12:49 PM
The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -The Bahamas government has confirmed that a SpaceX Starship rocket will fly over the country’s airspace on Tuesday night, more than two months after a SpaceX Starship test rocket exploded over the CARICOM country.

“This will mark the ninth test flight of the Starship launch system, which forms part of SpaceX’s ongoing development of next-generation space transportation,” the government said in a statement.

The test flight, which was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. (local time).

Following the explosion of the test rocket in March, the government said it had been been assured by SpaceX that the debris contained no toxic materials and that the debris was not expected to have any significant impact on marine life or water quality.

“SpaceX teams will be in The Bahamas to conduct full debris recovery and cleanup efforts. We expect our applicable agencies, inclusive of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection will observe the clean-up activities,” the government said then.

The SpaceX Starship exploded minutes after lifting off from Texas, dooming an attempt to deploy mock satellites in the second consecutive failure this year for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket programme.

In its latest statement, the Phillip Davis government said that “according to SpaceX, the planned flight trajectory of this Starship is several hundred thousand feet above Bahamian airspace and, therefore, does not require approval of Bahamas authorities.

“As a precautionary measure and in the interest of public safety, the Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA) will issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and the Port Department a Notice to Mariners detailing the temporary safety zone and flight window during which these measures will be in effect.

“It is important to note that while The Bahamas currently maintains a formal agreement with SpaceX for the return and recovery of Falcon 9 first-stage boosters within Bahamian maritime territory, no such agreement currently exists with respect to Starship test flights. As such, this overflight will not involve any landing or recovery within Bahamian territory,” the statement said.

The government said that the country subscribes to the Outer Space Treaty, an international framework governing space activities, including the peaceful use of outer space and the rights and responsibilities of states with respect to overflight.

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