U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Turks and Caicos Islands officials begin investigating SpaceX's explosive Starship rocket test that streaked debris across the northern Caribbean and forced airlines to ground dozens of flights. did.
The FAA, which oversees commercial rocket launch activities, said: “There have been no reports of public injuries. The FAA is working with SpaceX and appropriate authorities to confirm reports of damage to public property in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” .
An upgraded version of SpaceX's Starship exploded in space over the Bahamas about eight minutes after the company began its seventh test flight from Texas on Thursday. It sent a field of burning debris for miles over the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory.
Residents of South and North Caicos Islands told Reuters they described a violent rumbling that shook the ground and said they had received a message from a friend in North Caicos who had discovered charred debris believed to be the remains of the Starship. Ta.
“The mirrors were shaking, the walls were shaking,” said Veureiri Artiles, a woman who was working in South Caicos when the rubble fell. “It was like being on a plane…my ears were ringing.”
“It was like an earthquake,” said Ibarrol Carcin, who lives on the territory's Providenciales island. “It was scary… all the residents of the apartment ran into the parking lot.”
A “multi-agency investigation is underway” into the Starship explosion, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey told Reuters. He declined to comment on reports of damage to public property from debris.
According to seismic sensor data analyzed by seismologist Benjamin Fernando, the rumble was caused by the Starship's explosion, which sent a slew of glowing orange debris through the atmosphere, breaking the sound barrier and sending a roar across the islands. It is said that it was something that at Johns Hopkins University.
Fernando said the ground rumbling was “about 10 millimeters per second, which was actually quite a lot.” “This is a relatively large earthquake. It's comparable to a small earthquake.”
The Starship rocket that exploded was carrying several new payload features for the first time, as well as the first batch of simulated satellites that were to be deployed into space.
SpaceX's Starship system launched from Boca Chica, Texas at 5:37 p.m. ET on Thursday and flew east over the Gulf of Mexico. As planned, Starship separated from its superheavy booster at an altitude of 40 miles (64 km), ignited its six engines, and exploded deep into space.
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The rocket was scheduled to take a suborbital trajectory around the Earth, re-enter the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, and attempt a propelled landing on the water's surface.
However, SpaceX lost contact with the rocket shortly after it separated from Super Heavy and later confirmed its disappearance.
“Initial data indicates a fire occurred in the rear of the ship, leading to an unscheduled rapid dismantling,” SpaceX said in a statement on its website.
