By: Staff Writer
April 22, 2025
The Bahamas Government, through its Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) agency, has put the brakes on the historic SpaceX partnership until the latter has furnished the agency with a post landing report.
The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation held a press conference to make this announcement, and to give an update on the collection of debris from SpaceX’s Starship rocket that broke apart over The Bahamas during a test flight last month.
The Falcon 9 booster landing in the Exumas was unconnected to the Starship incident, involving the rocket that launched from Starbase in Texas.
Announcing the suspension last week, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said there is a need to know what an environmental baseline study will yield before rockets returning to Earth from space can ditch and dock on Bahamian islands.
The Bahamas had made an arrangement with Musk and his team to allow booster rockets to return to Earth safely in exchange for an agreed-upon fee, but the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has been lambasting authorities for proverbially putting the cart before the horse by not initially conducting a study to determine if the reentry process can harm Bahamians and others on the island.
“Maximizing the opportunities and minimizing the risks require the comprehensive strategy, including diplomatic agreements, regulatory enforcement, scientific partnerships and consistent legal reviews,” Cooper said.
“As Bahamians, we will always protect and defend our sovereignty, our safety and our environment.”
He added that other debris from other rocket launches have also been found and reported, though he did not name the other companies to which the debris might belong.
The highly touted partnership that The Bahamas made with SpaceX was seen as a world first in space related tourism as it marked the first time a space rocket launched from one country and landed in another.
Also ss part of the deal to host SpaceX Falcon 9 booster landings in The Bahamas, SpaceX donated $1 million to the University of The Bahamas, the first donation of this kind for the space exploration company.