A SpaceX Starship exploded minutes after launch from Texas, forcing airline reroutes over the Gulf of Mexico and setting back Elon Musk’s rocket program.

A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, causing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris. The incident has set back Elon Musk’s flagship rocket programme.

SpaceX mission control lost contact with the newly upgraded Starship, which was carrying its first test payload of mock satellites and no crew, eight minutes after liftoff from its South Texas facilities.

Eyewitness footage showed fiery debris falling over the skies of the Turks and Caicos Islands after the rocket exploded during its test flight. Reuters confirmed the location from the road layout, parking lot, and trees seen in the footage, which matched satellite imagery. The date of the event was verified by metadata attached to the original footage.

This failure follows a similar incident last March when a Starship upper stage failed during reentry over the Indian Ocean. However, it is rare for a SpaceX mishap to cause widespread disruption to air traffic.

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