Elon Musk Rocket Explodes, Bahamas Is Furious! SpaceX Secret Deal Threatened To Be Completely Canceled

SpaceX's Starship rocket (photo: x @SpaceX)

JAKARTA - SpaceX's global expansion efforts to expand its rocket launch operations have faced major challenges in the Bahamas. The country, which was originally expected to be a strategic partnership that benefits both parties, has now turned into a political and environmental controversy that has sparked internal tensions in the island nation's government.

In early 2024, SpaceX signed a deal with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Chester Cooper, to allow the Falcon 9 rocket booster landing in the Bahamas waters. As a "bonus", the company owned by Elon Musk offered a free Starlink internet terminal for the Bahamas military vessels. However, according to sources, the deal was approved without consulting with a number of other key ministers triggering dissatisfaction and suspicion in the cabinet.

The problem got worse when in March 2025, SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded in trials over Caribbean waters and delivered debris to several Bahamas islands. Although the government stated that no toxic material or significant environmental impacts were found, the incident led many residents and officials to question the security and transparency of cooperation with SpaceX.

"The Starship explosion strengthened the residents' refusal so that we could answer all questions about the safety and sovereignty of the national airspace," said Arana Pyfrom, senior official at the Department of Planning and Environmental Protection of the Bahamas, quoted by VOI from Reuters.

The Bahamas government also in April 2025 officially suspended the SpaceX rocket landing deal and demanded a post-launch investigation as a condition before considering continuing cooperation.

Starlink As A Offering Tool

For SpaceX, providing Starlink internet access to Bahamas defense vessels appears to be part of the company's rocket diplomacy strategy, to smooth out rocket landing permits in foreign regions. With the Falcon 9 booster landing in the Bahamas, SpaceX can save fuel and carry heavier payloads into orbits "providing huge logistical and financial benefits."

As part of the deal, SpaceX also promises:

- Donation of US $ 1 million to the University of the Bahamas

- Quarterly seminars on science and engineering

- Costs 100,000 US dollars per landing in accordance with Bahamas space regulations

However, this attractive offer failed to ease the concerns of citizens and officials regarding public safety and ecological impacts.

Tensions With Local Governments

Anger grew even more after it was discovered that the agreement with SpaceX was unilaterally made. Joe Darville, head of the Save The Bays environmental organization, called the agreement a "secret agreement" that undermines public trust.

"A deal like this should not be done without public consultation," he said.

It is still unknown the true value of the Starlink devices provided, or the number of ships that received installations. The Bahamas military has not yet made official comments. However, investigations carried out by the government are now reviewing reports of the environmental impact of the first booster landing that took place last February off the coast of Exuma.

Matthew Bastian, a retired Canadian engineer, witnessed the incident of the Starship explosion from aboard his sailing ship near the Ragged Islands, the Bahamas.

"I thought it was a rising month, but it turned out to be a giant fireball," he said. "I thought, 'cool too', but then I realized that the rocket debris fell onto my ship, it could sink instantly."

Within days of the explosion, SpaceX sent a search team with helicopters, speedboats, and sonar equipment to search for and transport debris from the seabed to their large ships. SpaceX's launch vice president, Kiko Dontchev, even came live and assured media that Falcon 9 and Starship were two different rockets as if trying to ease public concerns.

The incident in the Bahamas isn't the only problem with SpaceX. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last month said it was likely to sue SpaceX for contamination from Starship debris that fell on her country's border areas.

With Elon Musk as an increasingly controversial figure globally, especially after his political conflict with US President Donald Trump and various foreign governments, SpaceX's international expansion is now facing serious geopolitical challenges. To make Starlink the main source of funding for Mars' mission, SpaceX must achieve the trust of partner countries something that is now increasingly difficult to achieve.

According to two Bahamas officials, the Falcon 9 booster landing may still resume this summer, depending on the results of a review of reentry regulations and environmental reports. The government is recasting regulations so that future approval processes are more transparent and scientific study-based.

But for some Bahamas citizens, trust damage has already occurred. "I don't hate space exploration," Pyfrom said, "but I care about the sovereignty of my country's airspace."

With Elon Musk's unstoppable ambitions and plans to launch the next Starship in the next three weeks, the world will continue to monitor: whether SpaceX can learn from its rocket diplomacy errors or repeat them elsewhere.