The Federal Aviation Administration told TechCrunch it had to “briefly” slow down and divert a number of planes near the area where debris was seen falling after SpaceX’s spacecraft exploded during a flight test Thursday.
Several flights could be seen entering holding patterns or completely changing course in airspace near Puerto Rico shortly after the ship exploded while heading into space, data shows from Flightradar24. The FAA said normal operations in the airspace have since resumed.
Airports suffered disruptions following these diversions. Miami International Airport issued a 30-minute delay warning due to a “rocket launch anomaly,” according to the FAA website. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida also cited the same reason for its short delay.
SpaceX’s spacecraft took off earlier Thursday from the company’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in what was the seventh test flight of the heavy-lift launch system. SpaceX was able to catch the massive booster rocket as it descended with the launch tower for the second time. The company hoped to test a host of new equipment and upgrades on the Starship portion.
SpaceX already came under fire this week when airline Qantas complained that debris from the spaceflight company’s rocket launches was apparently causing delays on some flights.
Shortly after the ship broke apart on 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 fun is guaranteed! »
