Friday, March 7, 2025
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded mid-flight Thursday evening, lighting up the sky over The Bahamas.
The 400ft rocket lifted off from Texas around 6.30pm, but SpaceX lost contact before the craft disintegrated less than ten minutes later. The company described the failure as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”.
The explosion was visible throughout The Bahamas, with residents from New Providence to Ragged Island sharing videos on social media. Some likened the fiery destruction to an asteroid.
Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said his constituents saw bright lights and heard thunderous sounds “like the ground breaking”.
“I am deeply concerned about the potential for debris to cause damage to homes, property or even result in injury or death,” he said in a Facebook post.
According to The New York Times, the launch disrupted air traffic across Florida, delaying departures at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International Airports by up to 45 minutes.
This marks SpaceX’s second failed test flight in two months. In January, a Starship rocket exploded over the Turks and Caicos Islands, with CNN reporting that debris landed near homes and washed up on beaches.
Despite the failure, SpaceX successfully recovered the rocket’s Super Heavy booster — the third time the company has achieved this.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation, requiring SpaceX to determine the cause of the failure before another test flight can take place.
As The Tribune was going to press, a statement was promised from the Office of the Prime Minister but had not yet been released.
Comments
sheeprunner12 says...
Who will pay Bahamians for property damages, injuries or deaths caused by falling debris from these SpaceX explosions??
Or did our Government make a secret deal with Musk to give SpaceX a bly if something catastrophic happens???
I think Bahamians need to know the truth about these exploding rockets.
Posted 7 March 2025, 3:09 p.m. Suggest removal
ExposedU2C says...
> Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said his constituents saw bright lights and heard thunderous sounds “like the ground breaking”.
>“I am deeply concerned about the potential for debris to cause damage to homes, property or even result in injury or death,” he said in a Facebook post.
Gibson is clearly not the brightest crayon in the box. He should be concerned about the tons and tons of highly toxic debris that was scattered over a vast area of the Southeastern Bahamas with untold devastating consequences for our marine environment. He should also be gravely concerned about the highly toxic particulates that this disaster released into the atmosphere over our nation that rained down on many Bahamians who foolishly believe they cannot be harmed by what they cannot see. They forget many Bahamians succumbed to the COVID-19 virus that could not be seen and many Bahamians will no doubt be afflicted with cancer and other ailments later in their lives as a result of this incident.
And not a peep from our Green New Deal Carbon Capture PM and his DPM about this national disaster, not to mention crickets from all the environmentalists and the BNT.
For decades our corrupt politicians have been allowing the US publicly listed cruise ship companies to pollute our territorial seas and the air we breathe with impunity, and now these same corrupt politicians remain silent while the residue of highly toxic shiit rains down all over us from rockets launched from the US and boosters recovered in the Bahamas. And to think Davis is always spouting on about how pollution is causing climate change, rising sea levels and health risks for our people. Nothing said by Davis has the least bit of credibility.
Posted 7 March 2025, 4:03 p.m. Suggest removal
Porcupine says...
And, what of the known and unknown environmental problems associated with AUTECin Andros.
By all accounts, we are not allowed to know what goes on there, and what they are dumping into our waters.
And, since we are cozying up to China, and China and the US are at odds, what are the implications for being a target in the middle.
Is it really worth it to have them here?
Posted 7 March 2025, 7:56 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
**Well, between you, me and Jesus C.** -- First, Elon's rocket exploded in space, raining debris over the Turks & Caicos Islands and not a single MP spoke out. -- Then Elon's rocket flew over and landed in Exuma and their MP did not speak out. -- Then Elon's rocked exploded over the Bahamas and finally Long Island's "court embattled" fringe MP spoke out. -- The office of the premiership is still busy drafting the premiership's response. -- The more the explosions the nearer to draw closer to Jesus C. -- Amen! -- Yes?
Posted 7 March 2025, 4:19 p.m. Suggest removal
Bonefishpete says...
Musk; I aim for Mars sometimes I hit Nassau
Posted 7 March 2025, 6:29 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
***Elon is not one** to trust our sea waters and beaches with. -- **Three Cabinet guys** called him (Elon) a liar to his face, in front of the president. -- Unless the same goes on in the premiership's cabinet? -- Goin' make it even rarer and rarer for our tourists to still find Postcards to buy? -- Yes?
Posted 7 March 2025, 7:15 p.m. Suggest removal
screwedbahamian says...
Well, they are planning to destroy the Space Station, and now that there is a readily available dumping ground in the Bahamas your guess is as good as mine where all that debris will end up as well. That event should bring another several million tourists alone and a huge boost to our
new "Space Tourist Industry".
Fisherman will soon be catching two-hundred-pound toxic Grunts that will feed many of us.
Posted 7 March 2025, 7:32 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
@ScrewedBahamian, funny you mention Grunts acts as a reminder of our Bahamian Traditional Boil, Stewed, Fried Grunts and Grits. --- Perfect for breakfast, lunch or supper. -- Yes?
Posted 7 March 2025, 8:08 p.m. Suggest removal
Porcupine says...
Closer to home, we have AUTEC base in Fresh Creek and now new louder 2-rotor aircraft flying over our residential areas in Andros.
Not a peep from any of our elected officials.
Why not?
No backbones.
Our elected officials are puppets and useless for the Bahamian people.
Posted 7 March 2025, 8:24 p.m. Suggest removal
ThisIsOurs says...
Our government sells themself over and over again to any rich person with long dollars. They ask zero questions, facilitate anything they want to do then when the damage is done they allow them to walk away Scott free. Is oil still soaking the grounds of the pine forest from the Equinor oil spill?
Nygard was allowed to continue grooming young impoverished Bahamian girls for sex under the guise of running a modeling agency for decades apparently. FTX got the keys to the city. One can only imagine the teeth flashing when someone mentioned Elon Musk's name.
And Bahamians do the same. I was horrified months ago when Starlink showed up to offer us a **paid** internet service and callers to radio stations droned on for hours about what a wonderful opportunity this was for us. "Opportunity".. to pay someone??? Doesnt this remind you of the stories of the Columbus landing? The natives were so awed to see white people, treated them like gods.
I think I get it, when they get an opportunity to sit within 2ft of a rich person, thoughts of all the money theyll just be handed start to flow through their brains. Elon will give one million to every Bahamian out the goodness of his heart.
Word to the wise. Elon says "*The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy*". When people lack empathy they have a great willingness to inflict, watch, enjoy or ignore the suffering of others. If a few meaningless Bahamians die in the pursuit of space, SpaceX made great progress right? This whole DOGE movement is one big weird empathy absent, punish those lazy govt workers, glee that theyve lost their income, health insurance, disability care, lifesaving medical treatments...
They erased all traces of the black Tuskegee airmen from the military training material, he's pushing Trump to protect South African white farmers who benefited during the apartheid "black owned farm land seizure and give away". He gave a Nazi salute at a republican victory party and was funneling money into a neoNatzi german political party
Read the room.
Posted 8 March 2025, 2:24 a.m. Suggest removal
Porcupine says...
You are well informed and spot on.
Thank you for these comments.
All true.
Posted 8 March 2025, 7:24 a.m. Suggest removal
Porcupine says...
It is also useful to see the Zionist connection to all of this. From the words of Nelson Mandela to the mining operations in South Africa, nuclear program, and the holocaust happening in Gaza and the West Bank today, at present.
Posted 8 March 2025, 7:26 a.m. Suggest removal
ExposedU2C says...
The US is now in the painful process of clawing itself out of a deep hole created by decades of corrupt politicians, an out-of-control military industrial complex, a costly bureaucracy ruling the people rather serving their needs, and the malicious activity of the ChiComs.
Bluntly put, this painful clawing out process can only be done by a highly motivated and enormously wealthy group of talented disruptors lead by a well-liked (popular) visionary and energetic leader who is totally driven by his vision for a better future for all US citizens.
Anyone who thinks this clawing out of the hole process can be done without great pain for most US citizens, including US allies who have been wrongfully taking advantage of US citizens for many decades, is simply delusional.
Sadly, The Bahamas as a small nation is in a much deeper hole than the US. If we as Bahamians are unable to claw ourselves out of the very deep hole the corrupt politicians in the PLP and FNM have dug for us since 1973, then perhaps we should consider inviting President Trump to consider the possibility of having The Bahamas become the 51st State of the USA before Canada beats us to it. Like Greenland to the North, The Bahamas in the South as a US State or US Territory would provide the USA with the significant additional national security it needs to keep adventurous foreign adversaries like the ChiComs at bay.
Posted 8 March 2025, 12:10 p.m. Suggest removal
ExposedU2C says...
For all of its serious transgressions committed against other nations over many decades, including The Bahamas, a world with the often misguided US as its dominant economic and military super power, as opposed to the always evil ChiComs, will be a much safer place for all of mankind. Keep in mind that our corrupt ChiCom-friendly politicians love it when we whine, complain and spew hatred towards the US rather than focus on getting the evil ChiComs out of our country by any means possible.
Posted 8 March 2025, 12:35 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Took my havin' slow read through 100+ posts from fellow comrades, for you to see beyond the masks, but I'm okay with that because now that you've seen through Elon and Trump; -- "It'll never leave you." -- Yes?
Posted 8 March 2025, 3:21 a.m. Suggest removal
Porcupine says...
Hey Tribune, should we ask why the article critical of trump and his tariff stupidity is not available?
Posted 8 March 2025, 7:21 a.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Should the silence surrounding the takin' up of duties as the designated one to become US Ambassador to the Bahamas be taken as about to explode like a SpaceX rocket. -- Yes?
Posted 8 March 2025, 11:35 a.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
**Me eyes just now repositioning' back in they sockets.** -- But moments ago the findings of which were forwarded me way -- may just have shed light on who primarily are about to control this hereto, hear before motioned newspaper's controlling interests. -- Yes?
Posted 9 March 2025, 3:41 p.m. Suggest removal
ThisIsOurs says...
Elon?
Posted 9 March 2025, 6:18 p.m. Suggest removal
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