Texas resident Joe Tegtmeyer posted a photo on his Twitter with a heat shield tile from the Starship. SpaceX’s giant rocket exploded last week after launch. The company offers locals not to collect the debris themselves, but to contact them on the hotline.
Starship debris
A resident of south Texas Joe Tegtmeyer posted a photo on his Twitter with an element of the heat shield of the Starship spacecraft and signed it “Look what I found!”. In the photo, he is holding half of a hexagonal ceramic tile.
The SpaceX rocket was covered with about 18 thousand similar tiles. They were supposed to protect it from overheating when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere after an orbital flight. However, Starship never got into space. After the launch, the engines of the lower stage did not work properly, the rocket spun and it was decided to explode it.
Now the company is conducting its own investigation of the incident. Therefore, local authorities have blocked access to all local beaches and roads where such debris can be found. But the really forbidden territory is quite limited, and the explosion occurred at an altitude of 40 km. Unsurprisingly, some of the debris ended up far away from it.
However, Tegtmeyer is not sure that the tile separated from the spacecraft during this test. Earlier, SpaceX also conducted tests of its space system, during which the hexagons could also get lost. But it looks like he’s not the only one who’s already found the debris of Starship.
SpaceX advises to contact them
For its part, SpaceX has warned the public not to attempt to process or pull out the debris directly. The company invites to report about the findings to its hotline or by e-mail [email protected].
“Teams are actively monitoring both message boxes and will ensure the notification is handled appropriately. We are unable to respond to every message received, but our teams will reach out as appropriate,” SpaceX representatives wrote. “If you have concerns about an immediate hazard, please contact your local law enforcement agency”.
Despite the fact that the Starship test flight was funded by the private sector, it was carried out under a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which claimed that it was carried out under the supervision of the United States. According to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, all spacecraft debris remains the property of launch operators until they are abandoned.
Tegtmeyer said he respected the rules of his find. He is in touch with SpaceX and has already transmitted their geolocation of the find site. The company responded to him and thanked him for the information provided.
According to www.space.com
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