Overview
- Bahamas’ Civil Aviation Authority said all required regulatory and environmental clearances are complete, allowing Falcon 9 recoveries to restart.
- SpaceX scheduled a Feb. 19 Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral to attempt a droneship landing on Just Read the Instructions off Exuma, only the second such recovery in Bahamian waters.
- The mission’s first stage is flying for the 26th time, underscoring SpaceX’s reuse strategy for lowering launch costs.
- The clearance follows a suspension imposed after a March 6, 2025 Starship failure that broke up over the region and scattered debris across the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and parts of Florida.
- Local group Save The Bays criticized the decision over risks to marine life and noise, and SpaceX advised residents they may hear sonic booms during landings depending on conditions.