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Florida couple claims to find 'Starship' rocket debris while vacationing in Turks and Caicos

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Published  January 22, 2025 10:49pm EST
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FOX 35 Orlando

Florida couple finds 'Starship' rocket debris

This Florida couple found pieces of the "Starship" rocket, that exploded during it's test flight, after it washed ashore in Turks and Caicos.

The Brief

    • Debris from SpaceX’s Starship rocket washed ashore in Turks and Caicos after its test flight exploded.
    • Florida tourists Elena and Maxim Zavet collected fragments, describing the experience as "indescribable" and likening the materials to "space dust."
    • SpaceX encourages reporting rocket debris via their hotline or email.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Pieces of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket are washing ashore after the latest test flight exploded over Turks and Caicos.

The Zavet family from Florida was one of the lucky ones. They were able to find and bring back some of the spacecraft debris. 

What we know:

The Zevets were vacationing on the islands when they say they saw the rocket explode right above their heads last week. 

They thought it was a meteor shower, but then, the same night, they said they started seeing pieces of the rocket in the water coming on shore. 

What they're saying:

"Indescribable truly, like nothing you’ve ever seen in your life," exclaimed Elena Zavet thinking about what they experienced. 

Her husband agrees. 

"It’s almost like dust. Maybe it’s space dust. I don’t know," said Maxim Zavet. 

The couple showed FOX 35's Esther Bower the pieces they found in Turks and Caicos that are now home with them in Miami. 

Pieces of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket are washing ashore after the latest test flight exploded over Turks and Caicos. [Credit: Zavet family]

The first piece is like a tile with foam, but the other has a different texture. 

"It’s almost like a rubber, almost like a tire, but you can see it’s been burnt," said Maxim. 

Most space debris is supposed to burn up if it falls back down to earth, but not everything.

"The tiles that they put on it right are made to resist re-entry, so they’re going to fall down and drop in the ocean," said space photographer Robert Duvall who’s been photographing launches for decades. 

Duvall also studied aerospace and says aluminum and metal pieces of rockets will disintegrate, but some materials are made to withstand the blazing temperatures during re-entry. 

"Those heat tiles, I imagine, are what everybody is getting to collect in the area now," said Duvall. 

The Zavets collected about five pieces but only brought a couple back.

"We also didn’t know if it was radioactive, if we’re even allowed to touch it. We were kind of careful with it," said Elena. 

When they posted the find on X, the couple says people immediately tried to buy it off them, but for now they want to keep the relic that’s out of this world. 

"It’s incredible, it’s an incredible feeling," said Elena. "You are literally touching something from outer space, you’re connecting to the cosmos in this weird way."

What we don't know:

A debris response area was activated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FOX 35 News has not independently verified that the debris collected by the Zevets is, in fact, pieces of the Starhip. 

The backstory:

The SpaceX Starship took off from the company's Starbase facility in South Texas Thursday during a test flight. It was expected to land in the Indian Ocean.

Instead, a spokesperson on the company's livestream of the launch mentioned the Starship was having issues shortly after takeoff.

They noted the ship's engines had started to go out prior to their scheduled cut-off before it stopped sending telemetry data.

The FAA said there were no reports of injuries from the explosion and the agency was working with SpaceX and authorities in Turks and Caicos to confirm reports of property damage. The explosion caused some flights to be delayed entering and departing near where debris was falling.

The agency said some flights were diverted because of low fuel levels while being held.

"Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability," SpaceX said on social media.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the explosion appeared to be caused by a leak above the engine firewall.

"Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X. "Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month."

The company's Super Heavy booster was guided back to the launch site where it was caught by the Mechazilla tower.

It was the second successful "chopsticks" catch by the company.

The FAA has since ordered SpaceX to conduct a "mishap investigation" into the explosion.

What you can do:

These Starship test flights are happening over in Boca Chica, Tex. We went online and found on the Cameron County website that SpaceX has a debris hotline for anyone who finds pieces of the ship. 

If you ever find a piece of rocketry from SpaceX, you’re encouraged to call 1-866-623-0234. You can also email them at: recovery@spacex.com.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Maxim and Elena Zavet, SpaceX, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

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