How Elon Musk's SpaceX Rockets Put Passenger Planes at Risk

"When SpaceX CEO Elon Musk chose a remote Texas outpost on the Gulf Coast to develop his company's ambitious Starship, he put the 400-foot rocket on a collision course with the commercial airline industry. Each time SpaceX did a test run of Starship and its booster, dubbed Super Heavy, the megarocket's flight path would take it soaring over busy Caribbean airspace before it reached the relative safety of the open Atlantic Ocean. The company planned as many as five such launches a year as it perfected the craft, a version of which is supposed to one day land on the moon."

"The FAA, which also oversees commercial space launches, predicted the impact to the national airspace would be "minor or minimal," akin to a weather event, the agency's 2022 approval shows. No airport would need to close and no airplane would be denied access for "an extended period of time." But the reality has been far different. Last year, three of Starship's five launches exploded at unexpected points on their flight paths, twice raining flaming debris over congested commercial airways and disrupting flights. And while no aircraft collided with rocket parts, pilots were forced to scramble for safety."

"A ProPublica investigation, based on agency documents, interviews with pilots and passengers, air traffic control recordings and photos and videos of the events, found that by authorizing SpaceX to test its experimental rocket over busy airspace, the FAA accepted the inherent risk that the rocket might put airplane passengers in danger."

Starship development at a Gulf Coast launch site sent the 400-foot rocket over busy Caribbean airspace on each test flight. SpaceX planned up to five launches per year to perfect the vehicle intended for future lunar missions. The FAA predicted only minor or minimal impacts to national airspace and said no airports would close or face extended restrictions. Instead, three of five launches last year exploded at unexpected points, twice showering flaming debris over congested commercial airways and forcing pilots to take evasive action. The FAA authorized the tests despite the inherent risk to airplane passengers, according to investigative sources and documentation.

Read at Truthout