Summary
The FAA and Turks and Caicos officials are investigating SpaceX’s Starship rocket test explosion, which sent debris over the northern Caribbean, forcing flight diversions.
The upgraded Starship exploded over the Bahamas eight minutes after launch, scattering fiery debris that caused intense rumbling in the Turks and Caicos.
Residents described shaking walls and loud booms, likened to a small earthquake.
No injuries were reported, but property damage is under review.
SpaceX cited a fire in the rocket’s aft section as the cause of the failure during its seventh test flight.
Why would the taxpayers be liable?
I think the responsibility falls on whichever country issued the launch license but NASA not FAA (sorry my bad) due to the some convention (space liability convention?)
I did some reading on this. Looks like the UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1972 Liability Convention define the “launching state” as being liable for damage caused by space objects, both on Earth and in outer space. Off the latter:
Anyway, for the US, the FAA requires companies to carry liability insurance for potential damages caused by their launches. U.S. law caps the company’s liability. The government may cover damages exceeding this cap, but only up to a certain amount.
Basically, SpaceX would likely be responsible for initial claims up to their insurance limits. Beyond that, the U.S. government would step in. Considering how wealthy Mr Musk is, I don’t think taxpayers should be paying a dime to clean a his mess… but the government is contracting SpaceX.