SpaceX\u2019s upcoming Falcon 9 launch will revisit a rare flight path, lifting off from Florida and flying in the direction of the Bahamas. It\u2019s been nearly a year since authorities banned SpaceX from landing its boosters on the island following an unfortunate Starship test flight.<\/p>\n
The Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas granted approval to SpaceX to resume landing its Falcon 9 rockets in the country\u2019s waters, according to the Jamaica Observer<\/a>. The rocket is scheduled for a routine Starlink mission on Wednesday around 5 p.m. ET, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and landing off the coast of the Bahamas.<\/p>\n Bahamian authorities had banned all SpaceX landings on the island following a failed Starship test launch in March 2025<\/a>, which rained debris across the Bahamas and the surrounding Caribbean islands.<\/p>\n Flight hazard <\/p>\n The last time a Falcon 9 traveled along this trajectory was exactly one year ago on February 18, 2025, when SpaceX completed a test landing of its rocket\u2019s first stage in the Bahamas. The company was hoping to land 20 Falcon 9 rockets in the Bahamas in 2025, but Starship\u2019s explosive test stood in its way.<\/p>\n On March 6, 2025, Starship lifted off for its eighth test flight. The flight\u00a0was cut short<\/a> by a hardware failure in one of its Raptor engines, which sent the vehicle into a tumble. The rocket\u2019s upper stage broke apart, raining debris over the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and parts of Florida.<\/p>\n Following the fiery debris shower, the Bahamas suspended all SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket landings pending an investigation into the Starship launch. \u201cNo further clearances will be granted until a full environmental assessment is reviewed,\u201d Bahamian Director of Communications Latrae Rahming said<\/a> in a post on X.<\/p>\n All clear <\/p>\n The environmental assessment was meant to ensure that SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 landings would not pose a threat to the Bahamian marine environment.<\/p>\n Local environmental groups expressed dismay over the government\u2019s clearance for SpaceX to land its rockets on the island. \u201cAfter the incidents that took place in our waters and in the Turks and Caicos, I assumed any such approval would have been suspended for a long time,\u201d Joe Darville from Save The Bays told<\/a> Eyewitness News. \u201cWe have no right to gamble with our ocean\u2014these rockets are not guaranteed accident-free, and the risks to our waters and marine life are real.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that while SpaceX\u2019s Starship suffered a string of explosive flight tests last year, the company\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket is much more reliable. Still, rockets come with environmental risks that could threaten the Bahamas\u2019 clean waters and healthy marine environment that residents of the island rely on for their livelihood.<\/p>\n