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On February 18, the Elon Musk-founded private aerospace entity SpaceX conducted the first-ever international landing of one of its rockets. From its launch point in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Falcon 9 rocket received permission to land in The Bahamas, on an autonomous drone ship located just off the Exuma archipelago.
Falcon 9 lands off the coast of The Bahamas for the first time! Welcome to space @VisitTheBahamas! pic.twitter.com/eidTYL5PYv
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 18, 2025
While officials were attempting to separate “myth” from “fact,” advising residents that they should expect to hear a few sonic booms, asking people to comment on the event, and even hosting a watch party on the Tourism Today Bahamas Facebook page, many Bahamians appeared to have reservations about the 20-landing deal the country has struck with SpaceX.
Despite Prime Minister Philip Davis’ statement that the successful landing “reaffirmed that The Bahamas is not only a destination of beauty, but also of innovation and limitless possibilities in the future of exploration and discovery,” social media users expressed concerns about the impact on the country's environment and marine life, as well as the transparency of the deal.
SpaceX has reportedly committed a US million-dollar donation to the University of The Bahamas, which is supposed to be earmarked for STEM education, possibly contributing to Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Chester Cooper's vision of the country as a space tourism destination: “Innovation is here. The future is here in The Bahamas.”
The government has also been promoting the fact that Aisha Bowe, a Bahamian aerospace engineer, was the “official consultant for the country’s collaboration with SpaceX,” and suggesting that her role paves the way for The Bahamas to capitalise on this new sector.
Via WhatsApp, two Bahamians expressed their views to a member of the Global Voices Caribbean team under the condition of anonymity. The first alleged that “environmental conservation groups were not consulted” on the decision and that they perceived it as “a major risk to wildlife and human welfare in the area.” The second was of the opinion that the public “had no say.”
On Musk's Twitter-turned-X, while Musk and supporters of the initiative heaped praises on the landing, others remained tongue-in-cheek:
I believe this also means the Bahamas is now officially a part of America now pic.twitter.com/ugk5GYTdTR
— The Big Picture (@Big_Picture_89) February 18, 2025
Fuelling the unease is the fact that on March 6, just over two weeks after the landing in The Bahamas, a separate SpaceX rocket blew up post-liftoff from Texas, prompting the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily halt air traffic in parts of Florida. The flaming debris was spotted as far away as Discovery Bay, along Jamaica's north coast.
Reuters news agency, which called the mishap “the second straight failure this year for Elon Musk's Mars rocket program,” reported that Musk called the incident a “minor setback.”
While this latest development has prompted continued criticism of Musk from US social media users, netizens in the Caribbean, perhaps waiting for the other booster to drop, haven't said too much about it thus far.
Caribbean officials, however, including Antigua and Barbuda, which is demanding that SpaceX pay taxes; Belize, which is looking at setting expansion limits; and Turks and Caicos, which has been closely monitoring the landings after debris from a previously failed SpaceX rocket landed on a playing field in January, are keeping a close watch on developments.