SpaceX Starship explodes in Texas, fourth loss this year for Musk
It was the fourth time the company has lost a Starship spacecraft this year. In three previous test flights, the
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Spinoff
3 hours ago
- The Spinoff
What is Rocket Lab launching into space and why are people angry about it?
On Friday, picket signs bearing Palestine flags and banners about genocide gathered around three Rocket Lab locations in New Zealand. Why? Rocket Lab, founded in 2006 by Sir Peter Beck, is often lauded in New Zealand for catalysing our space industry. Today it still leads the sector, one with a quickly growing revenue – it was $2.68b in 2024. It's not just glowey-eyed nationalism that paints Rocket Lab favourably. Outside of New Zealand, it's seen as an ' innovative, exciting young space tech company,' and in the first quarter of 2025, Rocket Lab recorded $123 million in revenue, 32% up year-on-year. Rocket Lab is now an American corporation with headquarters in California. It offers launches from Māhia Peninsula and Virginia USA as well as aerospace manufacturing and design. While in 2008 Beck stated, ' if it's involved in the military we don't want anything to do with it,' the company won contracts from at least three US defence agencies in 2009, and seemingly never looked back. In May, Rocket Lab announced a $460 million deal with a US missile tracking tech company, positioning itself as a major contractor to US national security. In the US, Rocket Lab's rockets are the second most launched (after SpaceX). Here in New Zealand, concerns have been raised, and largely ignored by politicians, that Rocket Lab's ability to replace satellites makes the country a military target. Over the years, groups like Auckland Peace Action and Rocket Lab Monitor have accused Rocket Lab of being part of the militarisation of space and breaching New Zealand's Nuclear Free status. Many of the complaints have centered around its US military contracts. These groups have pointed out that Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons manufacturer, has invested in Rocket Lab and that the aerospace intelligence and communications technology that Rocket Lab develops, manufactures and launches could be used in weapon systems and other military operations. The most recent protests, from Friday, were led by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Beyond the pickets, the group, along with a lawyer, have referred Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, minister for space and for defence Judith Collins and others to the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Why? Because PSNA believes that Rocket Lab activities may have intentionally contributed to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Israel. In a statement provided to The Spinoff, a Rocket Lab spokesperson said the company 'strongly refutes PSNA's false and irresponsible claims' and that it is considering its legal options. They followed with a bullet-pointed summary of New Zealand's legal requirements for launching rockets. So what does Rocket Lab launch into space from Māhia? Rocket Lab's website says that its launches, numbering over 200 since 2018, have enabled ' operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications '. In the past the company has said it does not and will not launch weapons as this is against its commitment and New Zealand law. New Zealand's space activities are regulated by the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017. Apart from safety considerations, the act takes into account New Zealand's international obligations and national interests like economic benefits, risks to national security and international relations. Anything launched into space must have a license granted by discretion of the government on a case-by-case basis. Cabinet has outlined some payloads not to be permitted – payloads that contribute to nuclear weapons programmes or capabilities; payloads with the intended end use of harming, interfering with, or destroying other spacecraft, or space systems; payloads with the intended end use of supporting or enabling specific defence, security or intelligence operations that are contrary to government policy; payloads where the intended end use is likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment. Rocket Lab's website includes a log of launched missions. Among the clients listed are Hawkeye360, BlackSky, Capella Space, NASA, the US National Reconnaissance Office, the United States Space Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and RideShare. A few are labelled 'confidential commercial customer' or simply 'undisclosed'. Some media coverage states that Hawkeye360, BlackSky, Capella Space, all space-based intelligence firms, have links to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, though unsurprisingly it's hard to track down evidence and details. In its ICC referral, PSNA has taken issue with Rocket Lab's BlackSky launches in particular, claiming that ' these satellites provide high resolution images to Israel which are very likely used to assist with striking civilians in Gaza '. BlackSky has a network of satellites and sensors that capture high-frequency imagery of Earth. They monitor places and activities for clients, providing high-resolution photographs and AI-enabled analytics every hour under subscription models. This year, Rocket Lab is launching a series of BlackSky's Gen-3 satellites from Māhia Peninsula which are faster, can automatically identify smaller objects and can capture imagery through clouds, smoke or haze. In 2024, Intelligence Online, an intelligence trade publication, reported that 'BlackSky has a secret $150m contract to supply high temporal frequency images and analysis to the Israeli defence ministry'. This claim has not been reported elsewhere, but BlackSky has recently announced a new, $100+ million contract from a 'strategic international defense sector customer' for its Gen-3 monitoring capabilities. When Rocket Lab was asked by Newsroom in November last year whether payloads it had launched had been used to inform Israeli air strikes, a spokesperson pointed to other uses of commercial satellite imagery and data like disaster and humanitarian response, emergency management, national security, commerce, and environmental monitoring. A recent mission launched satellites for wildfire detection and monitoring. What don't we know? There is much we don't know and may never know about what Rocket Lab and its clients do. Some payloads have been kept confidential, yet all launches from New Zealand have to disclose information to the government in order to get the needed licenses. It's not cut and dry when the government might have obligations to release that information – under the Official Information Act information can be withheld on grounds of commercial or national security. The Spinoff contacted the office of Judith Collins for comment on Rocket Lab and the ICC referral. We were referred to the office of the prime minister who provided the following comment from a spokesperson: 'People are free to express their views but New Zealand has consistently made clear the situation in Gaza is deeply distressing, and the crisis must end. Our response to the Israel-Hamas conflict has been consistently grounded in the importance of upholding international law.'
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Endangered turtles share this Mexican beach with SpaceX rocket debris. The company says there's no risk of harm
By Ivonne Valdes , Max Saltman , Ana Melgar and Isa Cardona , CNN Recently hatched endangered turtle on Bagdad beach, Tamaulipas, Mexico on 20 June 2025. Photo: CNN / Supplied / Jesus Elias Ibarra The debris arrives in the rockets' wake: melted plastics, aluminium and pieces of blue adhesive. It all ends up stranded on the sands of Bagdad beach in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico, home to an endangered species of sea turtle. Just across the border lies Starbase, SpaceX's launchpad and company town. Since November, Conibio Global, a small non-governmental organisation, has taken on a daunting task: cleaning up trash from SpaceX, one of the most powerful companies in the world. Jesús Elías Ibarra, founder of Conibio Global, told CNN that in November 2024, he witnessed one of SpaceX's launches and saw one of the rocket boosters fall into the Gulf of Mexico. That time, Ibarra said people arrived in at least three helicopters and more than 10 boats just a few hours later to clean up. CNN reached out to SpaceX to ask if they were responsible for this cleanup. In May, however, there was another launch, with more debris. This time, the activist claims, millions of particles ended up contaminating the area on the Mexican side. Ibarra said that a few days later, the organisation collected more than a ton of waste in an area of 500 metres. "In half a kilometre out of the 40km of shoreline, we already collected one ton (of trash)," added Ibarra. "We are a very small group, it's impossible to clean everything." Ibarra said that Conibio Global handed the debris to the Mexican government's environmental protection agency, PROFEPA. In response to inquiries from CNN , SpaceX referred to what they published on social media site X on 26 June, where they claim to have offered resources and support for cleanup efforts. As previously stated, there are no hazards to the surrounding area. Previous independent tests conducted on materials inside Starship, including toxicity analyses, confirm they pose no chemical, biological, or toxicological risks. And as is the case before any test, a safety… The company claimed that they have also requested local and federal assistance from the Mexican government for debris recovery. Under the Outer Space Treaty, SpaceX is entitled to have its debris returned. Multiple pieces of rocket debris found on Bagdad Beach in May. Photo: CNN / Supplied / Jesus Elias Ibarra The statement added that the company had performed tests that they claim confirm that there are no chemical, biological or toxicological risks associated with the flotsam and jetsam of a typical SpaceX launch. CNN contacted the authorities of Tamaulipas and the Presidency of Mexico about SpaceX's offer and is awaiting a response. Ibarra said that Conibio Global has not had any contact with the company. Marlon Sorge, executive director of the Aerospace Corporation for Debris Reentry Studies (Cords), told CNN in an email that it's best not to touch space debris if found. This label with a SpaceX logo washed up on Bagdad Beach in May. Photo: CNN / Supplied / Jesus Elias Ibarra "Although a lot of debris is not hazardous, spaceflight-related vehicles can contain hazardous chemicals and materials," Sorge wrote. "Be aware that it is not worth the risk to touch a piece of debris, and it could interfere with important investigations." Some of the objects found during cleanup operations, Ibarra said, are solid and spongy plastics, a type of rubber with a consistency similar to cork, aluminium with SpaceX labels, pieces of plastic bubble wrap, steel tubes, and pieces of a blue-coloured adhesive. Some of this trash, Ibarra predicted, could end up being ingested by Kemp's ridley turtles, an endangered species of sea turtle that inhabits the area. On its website, SpaceX said it is committed to minimising the impact and improving the environment whenever possible, highlighting agreements with various US agencies and the Texas government. Trash and blue adhesive washed up on Bagdad Beach last month after a SpaceX launch went awry, Ibarra said. Photo: CNN / Supplied / Jesus Elias Ibarra After the recent explosion of a SpaceX rocket on 19 June, the NGO reported that some large fragments appeared in Mexican territory the next morning. It stated that several officials from the Mexican government got in touch so that they could be informed of the situation. Conibio follows SpaceX's social media announcements to know when there will be launches and goes to the sites to collect evidence of debris they know will fall. He said this happens in the northern area of Bagdad Beach and on a parcel of communal farming land in nearby Matamoros. Following persistent public complaints, Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, spoke out at her daily conference on 25 June. Sheinbaum said that her government had found that there is indeed pollution and that the impact of rocket launches in general will be reviewed in order to take action "within the framework of international laws," including possible legal actions. Ibarra, who is also a veterinarian and director of the Marine Turtle Program at Conibio Global, said that he believes the vibrations generated by the rockets compact the sand where there are turtle nests and prevent them from emerging. He said that at least 300 hatchlings have died in the compacted nests. "There is vegetation that the last explosion burned, the entire edge of the Rio Bravo, and the pipes broke many trees, which fell near a small population of people," said Ibarra. He added that in several border cities between Tamaulipas and Texas, it was reported that there was minor damage to houses due to the vibrations from the rockets. A team of environmental officials and personnel from the Mexican Navy Secretariat went to collect the waste Conibio collected last weekend, and during the visit, Ibarra recounted, they found a tank approximately 4m long and a stainless steel pipe weighing about 5 kg. Dealing with cleaning up the waste has cost the NGO more than US$26,000 in operating expenses and beach monitoring due to vehicle fuel they use and labourers' wages, as well as cleaning materials, the organisation claims. Ibarra noted that the Mexican government has collaborated with them since they became aware of the situation, especially since it involves a foreign company. He claimed that during one of the visits, they were "harassed" by SpaceX drones that were recording them. SpaceX did not respond to CNN' s request for comment on Ibarra's allegation. CNN has also contacted the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the government of Tamaulipas for comments on Ibarra's statements. In SpaceX's statement on social media, the company said that the debris is its property and that its recovery attempts have been hindered by individuals who had "trespassed" on private property without authorisation. CNN has asked SpaceX and the government of Tamaulipas about what private property the company is referring to. The government of Tamaulipas has always expressed that it wants a collaborative relationship with SpaceX. Governor Américo Villarreal visited Starbase in November 2024. While the bigger rocket pieces have been removed, Ibarra said the trash remains a major problem at Bagdad Beach. "The debris is still there," Ibarra said. "It's no longer as visible as in the photos because the tides have been burying it, but it's there, and it has to be removed sooner or later." - CNN
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- RNZ News
Elon Musk's SpaceX says debris recovery attempts hindered after Starship explosion
Another SpaceX Starship goes up in flames. Photo: NASASpaceflight SpaceX said its debris recovery efforts after last week's Starship explosion have been hindered and it has sought cooperation from Mexico, whose president has raised the possibility of legal action against the company. A massive Starship spacecraft by SpaceX exploded into a dramatic fireball during testing in Texas last week, which Elon Musk's space firm attributed to a "major anomaly." The Starship rocket appeared to have experienced at least two explosions in rapid succession, lighting up the night sky and sending debris flying, according to video capturing the moment it exploded. "Despite SpaceX's attempts to recover the anomaly related debris, which is and remains the tangible property of SpaceX, these attempts have been hindered by unauthorized parties trespassing on private property," the company said in a post on social media platform X. "We have requested local and federal assistance from the government of Mexico in the recovery," it said, adding that it also has offered resources and assistance in the clean-up. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that her administration is investigating the security and environmental impact of the launch of rockets, particularly for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. A general review is being conducted to determine what international laws are being violated. "From there, we'll start a process, because there is indeed contamination," Sheinbaum had said during a morning press conference. A Starship spacecraft exploded in space minutes after lifting off from Texas in March, prompting the FAA to halt air traffic in parts of Florida, in a setback for Musk's Mars rocket program. In January, a Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas, raining debris over Caribbean islands and causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands. - Reuters
