The article discusses the recent test flights of SpaceX's Starship rocket, which ended in explosions over the Caribbean, resulting in debris raining down on islands like Turks and Caicos. Despite the absence of injuries, environmentalists report growing concern over the impact of falling rocket fragments on marine ecosystems. Notably, experts like Jonathan McDowell highlight the increasing environmental footprint of human activities in space. SpaceX asserts that the debris posed no hazardous materials, but the scenario underscores the potential consequences of contemporary space exploration efforts.
Just seven weeks later, the company's eighth test flight of its megarocket met a similarly explosive fate... SpaceX's team left the Bahamas after determining that large pieces of the wreckage, including the engine, are likely in deep water and unrecoverable.
Human activity in space is ubiquitous enough that it really is starting to have a significant environmental impact... After all, what goes up must come down.
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