Dozens of flights faced diversions and delays following the breakup of a SpaceX Starship rocket during its seventh flight test. The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday when the rocket launched from SpaceX's facility near Brownsville, Texas. Heading east from Texas, the rocket's disintegration prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a warning to pilots about a "dangerous area for falling debris of rocket Starship."
The FAA swiftly responded to the potential hazard by briefly slowing and diverting aircraft around the affected area. The airspace, particularly congested near Florida, became a point of concern as airlines and private planes competed for clearance. Despite the disruption, the FAA confirmed no reports of injuries or property damage due to the rocket debris.
One significant impact involved a JetBlue Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which had to return to its point of origin nearly two hours into the journey. An American Airlines spokeswoman reported fewer than ten diversions caused by the incident. Moreover, flight-tracking data indicated that flights near Turks and Caicos, including a FedEx cargo jet and a Spirit Airlines plane, altered their courses.
SpaceX acknowledged the rocket's failure on its seventh flight test, stating on social media platform X that it will "continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause." The FAA had already cautioned pilots about the danger posed by potential falling debris before the rocket's breakup occurred.
Flight-tracker Flightradar24 noted that the rocket's disintegration affected dozens of flights, underscoring the widespread impact on commercial and private aviation operations.