People along the Space Coast are being warned about rocket debris from Sunday’s planned rocket explosion that could still be floating around.
The launch Sunday successfully demonstrated that the Crew Dragon capsule can safely separate from a Falcon 9 rocket in case of an emergency. It’s one of the last major tests before crewed missions can resume from U.S. soil.
Read: Mission complete: SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test successful
Brevard County sent out alerts shortly after the test, notifying people on the beaches to watch out for debris washing on shore. The rocket broke up and dropped into the ocean about 20 miles offshore.
“There’s definitely not any of the big pieces of the rocket left,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said.
Dr. Ken Kremer with Space UpClose said most of the pieces of the 160-foot rocket likely sank, but some pieces like long metal rods and round pieces could still wash ashore.
"Mostly it would be sharp edges, so you don’t want to touch that,” Kremer said, adding that the pieces could contain chemical residue from rocket fuel.
The residue won’t kill you, Kremer said, but it can be pretty messy.
See more: Radar shows SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket exploding
Anyone who spots rocket debris is asked to call the Brevard County Emergency Management Office.
1/19/20 | 2:50PM: Reminder - beachgoers be aware of/avoid rocket debris. Debris sightings? Call 866-623-0234
— Brevard EOC (@BrevardEOC) January 19, 2020
People on the beach Monday told Channel 9 they hadn’t seen anything float ashore -- yet.
On Monday, SpaceX rolled out another rocket and did a static test fire on it. The rocket could send more Starlink satellites up as soon as tomorrow that will help provide satellite internet service. See more below:
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