The Florida Legislature signed off on a measure protecting commercial space flight companies, such as SpaceX, from being sued for accidents that kill

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2023-05-26 04:00:04

The Florida Legislature signed off on a measure protecting commercial space flight companies, such as SpaceX, from being sued for accidents that kill or hurt crewmembers.

"They're not looking to protect you. OK, Bezos and Musk. They want to protect themselves. If you're going to go and put your life on the line on a rocket, you have to know that's a controlled explosion. So, you have to really think that through very carefully, whether you're willing to accept that risk that you might not come home," said Dr. Ken Kremer, a research scientist and space journalist.

Kremer has seen more than 100 rocket launches. He's not necessarily against the bill. He's just concerned about the lack of discussion to get it to the governor's desk.

"I think there should be some debate about, you know, what's good about this was not good about this. Is this really in the public interest? You know, we want spaceflight here. Absolutely. It brings a lot of jobs. But it's got to be done safe, just like in the airline industry. If you have crashes in the airline, it gets all kinds of lawsuits. So, that's why it does need to be regulated. It needs to be regulated properly and you've got to find the right balance," he says.

The spaceflight industry contributes $17.7 billion in revenues to Florida's economy, according to Florida's Aerospace and Spaceport Development Authority.

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