By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Office of the Prime Minister has called on Reuters, a leading international news agency, to retract a story that claimed SpaceX offered free Starlink internet terminals to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) as part of an agreement to land Falcon 9 rocket boosters in Bahamian waters.

The article, “How SpaceX’s rocket diplomacy backfired in The Bahamas,” also alleged Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper signed off on the deal without consulting key Cabinet ministers.

In a letter to Reuters’ editor-in-chief, director of communications Latrae Rahming accused the agency of publishing “multiple inaccuracies and misrepresentations.” Chief among them, he said, was the suggestion that SpaceX operated without proper authorisation.

“Approval was granted by the Cabinet of The Bahamas,” the letter said. “A constitutional body composed of all sitting ministers of government. No single individual or ministry acted independently of this process.”

The article said SpaceX had offered free Starlink internet to RBDF vessels. Mr Rahming called that “entirely inaccurate”, adding the government paid for the service and that “no donation was proposed, sought, or accepted from SpaceX”.

Reuters noted it was unable to confirm how many terminals were provided or the value of the arrangement.

The story also linked the government’s recent pause on SpaceX landings to fallout from the February 2024 Falcon 9 touchdown and a separate Starship explosion in March, which scattered debris near Ragged Island. In April, officials said no further landings would be approved until SpaceX completes an environmental impact assessment and submits a post-launch report.

Reuters cited a quote it said came from a spokesperson for Mr Cooper that said: “While no toxic materials were detected and no significant environmental impact was reported, the incident prompted a reevaluation of our engagement with SpaceX.”

Mr Rahming said that quote was unauthorised and “never approved, provided, or endorsed by the Deputy Prime Minister”.

The article also quoted Arana Pyfrom, assistant director at the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, as calling SpaceX’s presence “polarising” and saying Bahamians had raised environmental and safety concerns. According to Mr Rahming, Mr Pyfrom did not know he was doing an interview with Reuters.

“Due to the pervasive nature of these inaccuracies,” the letter concluded, “we respectfully request full and prompt retraction of the article in the size and prominence of the original piece, as well as an acknowledgement of the errors.”

Reuters did not respond to requests for comment up to press time.