By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIALS of SpaceX were unable to confirm yesterday how much the company has spent on clean-up efforts in The Bahamas after its Starship rocket exploded in March, scattering around 400 pounds of debris near Ragged Island.

The government has also revealed that three other aerospace and commercial launch companies are responsible for additional debris found on other Bahamian islands.

On March 6, a SpaceX Starship rocket launched from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas but broke apart mid-flight. It was intended to re-enter over the Indian Ocean, but 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. 

A SpaceX recovery team arrived in The Bahamas on March 7 and worked with government officials to remove the debris. The team left two weeks later. According to the government, SpaceX committed to covering all costs associated with debris removal and environmental assessments. 

A press conference was held yesterday at the Ministry of Tourism, with SpaceX officials in attendance.

When asked for a specific figure on clean-up costs, SpaceX vice president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, said he could not provide an exact amount.

“I do not have a precise figure, to be frank, it’s a huge variable. Depending on how deep the debris is, how many the debris is, how we have to outreach, how we actually pay certain folks,” he said.

“Some of the individuals that helped us - we were paying with cash and cheque on the spot and things like that. But all I can say is we were committed, and we remain committed to making sure we pick up every piece of debris that we find.” 

When asked whether the clean-up was expensive, Mr Dontchev said the cost is relative to the individual but emphasised that SpaceX is committed to using whatever resources are necessary to remove all debris. 

Director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), Dr Rhianna Neely, said she was advised that no heavy parts of the rocket were dropped into Bahamian waters. The debris mainly consisted of the rocket’s heat shields.

She added that since the SpaceX clean-up, debris has also been recovered on Cat Island, Abaco, and Eleuthera. However, there is currently no evidence linking SpaceX to the debris found on those islands. 

None of the debris reported so far has been confirmed as hazardous. Dr Neely said some pieces appear to have been in the ocean for a long time, including debris that washed up on Cat Island, which is estimated to have been there since 2021. 

She said the findings have been reported to the United Nations, which approved the export of debris from all islands except Eleuthera, where approval is still pending.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper revealed that three additional companies have been linked to debris found in The Bahamas. While the government is confident about the identities of the entities, Mr Cooper declined to name them, stating that officials would release the information once the entities are fully verified.