Elon Musk's SpaceX To Land Falcon 9 First Stage Off The Coast Of The Bahamas Later This Month

Elon Musk‘s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX is looking to land a Falcon 9 first stage off the coast of the Bahamas for the first time over the coming weeks.

What Happened: SpaceX is targeting Feb. 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Florida. After separating from the second stage of the rocket, the first stage will land back on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of The Bahamas, the company said while warning that residents and visitors of the island may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing.

“Our new landing collaboration with The Bahamas will enable Falcon 9 to launch to new orbital trajectories,” the launch provider said in a post on social media platform X. Delegates from the Bahamas visited SpaceX facilities in Florida on Friday.

Why It Matters: The Bahamas executed a Letter of Agreement with SpaceX positioning itself as a destination for witnessing booster landings in February 2024. The first stage will land east of the Exumas, allowing residents and tourists to witness it from various Bahamian islands.

SpaceX’s other landing zones are in Florida and California, making the Bahamas the first international location to host SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster landings.

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