FAA had to divert flights because of SpaceX Starship explosion

The Federal Aviation Administration has told TechCrunch that it had to “briefly” slow and divert a number of aircraft near the area where debris was seen falling after SpaceX’s Starship exploded during a test flight Thursday.

Multiple flights could be seen entering holding patterns or completely changing course in the airspace near Puerto Rico shortly after the ship exploded on its way to space, according to data from Flightradar24. The FAA said normal airspace operations have since resumed.

Airports suffered disruptions as a result of the diversions. Miami International Airport posted a 30 minute delay warning due to the “rocket launch anomaly,” according to the FAA’s website. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida also cited the same reason for a short delay.

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off earlier Thursday from the company’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas in what was the seventh test flight of the heavy launch system. SpaceX was able to catch the massive booster rocket on its descent with the launch tower for the second time ever. The company was hoping to test out a load of new equipment and upgrades on the Starship portion.

SpaceX had already caught some flak this week when Qantas airlines complained that debris from the spaceflight company’s rocket launches was apparently causing delays of some flights.

Not long after the ship broke apart Thursday, videos and images of the debris went viral on social media. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared one of the videos on X, writing: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”