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Starship Flight 7 heat shield tiles have reportedly begun washing up on Turks and Caicos shores
Seth Kurkowski | Jan 20 2025 - 10:08 am PT
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Last week SpaceX launched its seventh flight test of its Starship rocket. The mission was supposed to be an iterative improvement in Starship capabilities, and while the booster saw success, the upper stage ship’s mission concluded early. Now debris is showing up on island shores.
Shortly before completing its burn, SpaceX lost contact with Ship 33. After confirming they had lost the vehicle, videos and photos from airline passengers and pilots in the sky, as well as vacationers and locals of the Turks and Caicos Islands, began streaming in as the debris re-entered over them.
Meanwhile, the Starship booster was able to successfully return to the launch pad and be caught by the launch tower’s arms. SpaceX has viewed the mission as a success given the goal of all flight test missions is flight data gathering. However, this will still delay SpaceX’s development timeline no matter how the company spins it.
The FAA is requiring a mishap investigation, led by SpaceX, to determine the cause of Starship’s early mission conclusion. Early data from SpaceX suggests a fire developed in the ship that eventually led to the rapid unscheduled disassembly.
However, the FAA is also leading a separate investigation into the debris field that Starship created. After the RUD, the FAA opened a Debris Response Area, which is only activated when debris falls outside predefined hazard zones. A statement by the Turks and Caicos Islands, a part of the British Overseas Territories, shares that the debris has no reported injuries but did cause minor damage to property.
SpaceX claims all the debris would have reentered the designated hazard area set up prior to launch in the Atlantic Ocean.
Both the FAA and local authorities diverted and grounded flights in the area due to the debris. And some flights were required to divert their landings due to low fuel.
Over the weekend and this morning, Starship debris has begun to wash up on Turks and Caicos Island shores. Mostly the vehicle’s heat shield tiles that are designed to survive reentry. These tiles are easily identifiable by their hexagonal shape.
The Turks and Caicos Islands government has instructed locals not to touch or handle the debris and to notify local authorities about it. However, spacecraft debris, including parts of failed Starships from Texas, that fall into the hands of the public regularly end up on online forums for purchase.
For now, Starship launches are halted, pending the mishap investigation and likely the FAA’s debris investigation. Elon Musk shared that he doesn’t believe the flight will be delayed past February; however, that will be the FAA’s call.
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