“We’re too close to the debris.”

Three of five Starship launches in 2025 exploded unexpectedly, forcing 20+ commercial planes to make sudden evasive maneuvers over the Caribbean. One aircraft carrying 283 passengers ran so low on fuel during a debris-zone diversion that the pilot declared an emergency. Researchers note that 300 grams of debris could catastrophically damage an aircraft at cruising speed—beach photos showed much larger intact rocket components. The FAA has dual mandates to promote and regulate commercial spaceflight, which is exactly the conflict of interest it sounds like.