SpaceX’s Starship explodes during test flight

Dozens of commercial aircraft are diverted to avoid potential debris

A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after it was launched from Texas on Thursday, forcing commercial flights over the Gulf of Mexico to change course to avoid falling debris. The incident is a setback for Elon Musk's flagship rocket programme.

SpaceX mission control lost contact with the Starship about eight minutes after it lifted off from in what the company called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”.

The spacecraft – an upgraded model making its debut flight – was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico as it set off on a near loop around the world, similar to previous test flights. SpaceX loaded 10 dummy satellites on to the craft to practise releasing them.

But video showed orange balls of light streaking across the sky over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and trails of smoke.

“We did lose all communications with the ship – that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said, confirming minutes later that the ship was lost.

“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship. It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle.”

Dozens of commercial flights were diverted to other airports or altered course to avoid potential debris, based on flight records from tracking website FlightRadar24. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private launch activities, said it briefly slowed and diverted planes in the area where space debris fell. Normal operations have since resumed.

The failed flight came a day after Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its giant New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time.

The SpaceX operation marked the seventh test flight for the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket. Nasa has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the Moon this decade. Mr Musk’s goal is to reach Mars.

SpaceX's test-to-failure development approach has in the past included spectacular setbacks as the company pushes Starship prototypes to their engineering limits. Thursday's test, however, occurred in a mission phase that SpaceX has flown through previously.

The towering Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, returned to its launch pad about seven minutes after lift-off, as planned. It slowed its descent from space by reigniting its Raptor engines, ending its journey by being hooked on giant mechanical arms fixed to a launch tower.