Starship explosion raises questions about risk to public, environment [Video]

The latest disintegration of a SpaceX test flight was a spectacular sight, as broken-up rocket parts streaked like jellyfish tendrils across the Caribbean sky on Thursday evening.

But some experts say focusing on that dazzling light show, as many people and media outlets did, highlights a lack of understanding of the environmental aftermath of these spacecraft failures.

Moriba Jah, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas Austin, compares it to marvelling at the beauty of a nuclear bomb’s mushroom cloud.

“Being mesmerized by the magic of the debris [means] not realizing what it implies,” Jah said. “This stuff can harm ecosystems, can affect populations.”

There is also the more immediate threat, illustrated by …