The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flights to several Florida airports Thursday night following a SpaceX Starship testing failure. The incident occurred during Starship's eighth test flight at the company's spaceport near Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX experienced a mishap that led to significant disruptions for commercial flights and potential public safety concerns.
On Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET, SpaceX launched the Starship rocket as part of its ongoing test program. However, during the ascent burn, the vehicle encountered a rapid unscheduled disassembly, resulting in the loss of contact with the spacecraft.
"During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses." – SpaceX
In response to the testing failure, the FAA took immediate action to halt flights at several major Florida airports, including Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando. This disruption affected numerous commercial flights, notably impacting American Airlines hub operations in Miami.
The recent mishap marks the second such incident for SpaceX this year. In January, an earlier Starship test flight ended in failure when the rocket disintegrated mid-air. This resulted in diverted flights and warnings of "space vehicle debris" falling, which included reports of public property damage on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean.
Despite the ongoing investigation into the previous incident, the FAA allowed SpaceX to proceed with this latest test flight. The aerospace company has stated its intention to analyze the data collected during the flight to identify the root cause of the mishap.
"review the data from today's flight test to better understand" – SpaceX
SpaceX's commitment to understanding and rectifying these issues continues as it aims to enhance the safety and reliability of its Starship program. The FAA's involvement highlights the critical need for stringent oversight and coordination between regulatory bodies and private space companies.