Elon Musk: Sheffield couple on Caribbean holiday find exploded SpaceX rocket debris on beach

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A Sheffield couple on an idyllic Caribbean island were shocked to find what appears to be Starship debris all over the beach.

Chris Caroe, of Totley, was out for a run when he found burnt pieces of Elon Musk’s rocket, which exploded shortly after take off in Texas.

The items, which appear to be a mix of metal and ceramic material, were black and white, with a large hexagonal tile the only intact piece.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Chris Caroe, with a tile apparently from a SpaceX rocket which exploded over the Turks and Caicos islands.Chris Caroe, with a tile apparently from a SpaceX rocket which exploded over the Turks and Caicos islands.
Chris Caroe, with a tile apparently from a SpaceX rocket which exploded over the Turks and Caicos islands. | Kate Caroe

Kate Caroe, said on her Facebook page: “Chris Caroe went for a run this morning and found SpaceX debris all over the beach. I hope Musk is going to foot the clean up bill for the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

SpaceX's giant Starship rocket exploded during a test flight. The upper stage dramatically broke up and disintegrated over the Caribbean after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights to alter course to avoid falling debris.

The burned, exotically shaped debris includes one item with a date stamp.The burned, exotically shaped debris includes one item with a date stamp.
The burned, exotically shaped debris includes one item with a date stamp. | Kate Caroe

Footage shows a dazzling stream of multi-coloured stars blazing across the sky.

Kate said: “It was amazing! We stopped the car and watched it go over. Though it was more amazing when I thought it was a meteor!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“At first we thought it was an amazing slow-moving silent firework, then we thought it was a meteorite. But it turns out to have been Space X's exploding rocket!”

The incident occurred just eight and a half minutes into the flight, after the spacecraft's six engines began shutting down during ascent.

The new and upgraded model was carrying 10 dummy satellites and was meant to complete a near loop around the world, similar to previous test flights.

SpaceX managed to catch the returning booster using the launch tower's giant mechanical arms.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

SpaceX described the incident as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

The last data received showed the spacecraft at an altitude of 90 miles, travelling at 13,245mph.

Elon Musk's company has been told to carry out a "mishap" investigation by the regulator, which will review the findings before deciding if Starship can return to flight.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a post on his social media platform X, Musk said "preliminary indications" were that the problem was linked to an "oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall".

SpaceX earlier posted: “Liftoff of Starship's seventh flight test. The Super Heavy booster utilized flight proven hardware for the first time, reusing a Raptor engine from the fifth flight test.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1887
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice