Statement from the Government of The Bahamas on Space X Starship Operations    

Immediate Release   

On the evening of March 6, 2025, SpaceX launched its Starship rocket from Starbase in Texas, United States. Minutes after take-off, contact was lost with the spacecraft, and debris was subsequently observed streaming over The Bahamas.  

The Bahamas has no regulatory authority under The Bahamas’ Civil Aviation (Space Flight and Re-Entry) Regulations, 2025 over SpaceX’s Starship operations and this incident is not part of The Bahamas' existing relationship with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 program, which involves controlled booster landings in Bahamian waters following launches from Kennedy Space in  Florida. The FAA issues the launch license for Starship exercises.   

The Bahamas was required under an existing treaty to issue a Notice to Mariners (NOTMAR) for maritime safety coordination.  

The debris from Starship fell into our airspace in the Southern Bahamas. Following the incident, SpaceX contingency measures, which includes immediate and continual communication with Bahamian officials. SpaceX has assured the government that:  

• ⁠  ⁠The debris contains no toxic materials.
• ⁠  ⁠No significant impact on marine life or water quality is expected.
• ⁠  ⁠SpaceX teams will be in The Bahamas to conduct full debris recovery and cleanup efforts. We expect our applicable agencies, inclusive of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection will observe the clean-up activities.

We emphasize that this Starship is not a part of the Bahamas' Falcon 9 program.  

The Government of The Bahamas remains engaged with SpaceX and will continue to monitor the situation to ensure proper recovery actions are carried out.  

March 6th, 2025  Commonwealth of The Bahamas