SpaceX ignored rocket debris that landed in Brazil

SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Los Angeles. Sundry/Shutterstock

According to newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, U.S. space manufacturer SpaceX admitted responsibility for a large piece of rocket debris that landed in southern Brazil in March. Elon Musk’s company has been notified by the Brazilian Space Agency, after it found that the debris likely belonged to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The large chunk of metal landed in the town of São Mateus do Sul, some 150 kilometers away from Paraná state capital Curitiba. The debris hit the ground just 100 meters from a farmhouse.

The object has not been moved, and the company has yet to contact the owners of the farmhouse to have it collected. SpaceX is obligated to remove the debris and compensate the Brazilian Space Agency for the money spent on its investigation.

Elon Musk visited Brazil last month for a SpaceX event, during which time he met with far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. He received a medal from the government for “services to Brazil.”

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Amanda Audi

Amanda Audi is a journalist specializing in politics and human rights. She is the former executive director of Congresso em Foco and worked as a reporter for The Intercept Brasil, Folha de S. Paulo, O Globo, Gazeta do Povo, Poder360, among others. In 2019, she won the Comunique-se Award for best-written media reporter and won the Mulher Imprensa award for web journalism in 2020