By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday revealed that Space X will not be conducting any further landings in The Bahamas until a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said all the debris following the March 6 explosion of SpaceX’s Starship 8 rocket has been removed from the country and related costs were completely covered by the company.

He said that although there was a successful landing of SpaceX’s Falcon nine booster off the coast of Exuma last month, the company will be required to complete the EIA to ensure adequate safety of Bahamian residents and the environment.

“We wish to advise that there will be no further Falcon landings in the Bahamas until SpaceX and its environmental agency has completed a full Environmental Impact Assessment. You may already be aware that any additional mandates, each require a separate licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Bahamas (CAAB),” said Mr Cooper.

“Regarding the debris from Starship 8’s tank, it was collected and removed outside of The Bahamas as a full expense of SpaceX. However, should any resident suspect space debris has washed ashore, please contact DEPP.

“None of it will remain in our country and The Bahamas would incur no cost. We emphasise that The Bahamas will incur no cost as a result of the debris recovery. The cost and logistics of this effort have been handled entirely by SpaceX in accordance with the international standards, and under Bahamian oversight to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards.”

Dr Rhianna Neely-Murphy, the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection’s (DEPP) director, said Space X has been told her agency will not approve any re-entry exercises until the post -launch report, which is expected before Easter, has been adequately reviewed and a public consultation is arranged.

“Space X is aware that no other re-entry exercises will be considered for DEEP’s clearance until the post-launch report has been reviewed by the DEPP, and that the previously submitted documents are updated to reflect any new intervention and lessons learned, and that the public consultation is conducted for Bahamians and concerned residents,” said Dr Neely-Murphy.

“We would have required environmental documents be submitted to the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection prior to the launch. Now the post -launch report will have to indicate that everything that we expected pre-launch has happened in the post-launch and, moving forward, any lessons learned that we need to employ.”

Kiko Dontchev, vice-president of launch at Space X, said the preliminary findings of the post-launch report reveal that there was no significant change in ambient environmental conditions after the landing.

“What we have found in the preliminary report is that there was no significant difference in the ambient environmental conditions before and after the landing,” he said.  “During the landing, there was a temporary increase in sound, as you would expect, but there was no observations of marine life that were different before or after the landing.

“Water quality results appeared stable before and after the landing, and many of the birds seen during the pre-launch were present in the same general areas during the post-launch. Our assessment is that there was no impact on the land.”

Mr Dontchev said Space X has seen the feedback from environmentalists and understands that a public consultation is necessary so persons can voice their concerns.

“We heard the feedback from the environmentalists, which is exactly why we are going to go do an EIA, and no landings will happen until we’re complete with that process. That process will also include a public comment period. So folks that have a say on the landings will have a chance,” said Mr Dontchev.

He added that the EIA is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2025, and the delay will not interfere with Space X’s scheduled launches. “We hope to be completed by the end of the summer, at which point we can restart,” said Mr Dontchev.

“It will not affect our cadence, but it will affect some of the trajectories we fly. We’re working to make that impact as minimal as possible. And we want to support The Bahamas and do the right thing, so we will figure out how to work through them.”