Elon Musk's Starship explosion causes flight delays, airport ground stops and falling debris: What happened?

SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended in failure on Thursday, with the spacecraft losing contact and breaking apart minutes after launch.

The incident, which scattered debris over parts of the Caribbean, led to significant air traffic disruptions and reignited concerns over space debris management.

The 403-foot (123-metre) rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas at 5:30 pm CT (6:30 p.m. ET). The first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, was successfully caught by mechanical arms at the launch pad — a crucial milestone for the company.

However, as the upper-stage Starship vehicle streaked eastward for what was intended to be a controlled descent over the Indian Ocean, engines began shutting down, leading to a loss of control.

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The spacecraft spun out before contact was lost roughly 9 minutes and 30 seconds into the flight. While Starship reached an altitude of nearly 90 miles (150 kilometres), it failed to deploy its four mock satellites before breaking apart.

Images posted online showed flaming debris visible from parts of Florida, including near Cape Canaveral. According to CNN, residents in Turks and Caicos also reported finding debris on beaches and roadways, with at least one vehicle struck by falling fragments.

Flight disruptions, airport closures

The explosion had immediate consequences for commercial air traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted departures from four major Florida airports — Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Palm Beach — due to falling space debris.

Departures at these airports were delayed by an average of 30 to 45 minutes before normal operations resumed at around 8 pm ET.

Orlando International Airport posted on X that flights were briefly grounded due to “space launch debris in the area.” The FAA later confirmed that it had activated a debris response area, ensuring aircraft were redirected to avoid potential risks.

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Operational Update: Per the @FAANews, our airport is currently under a Ground Stop due to space launch debris in the area. For airport delays, visit: https://t.co/JKuNBVb9Fl, and please check directly with your airline for further updates.

— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) March 7, 2025

This marks the second time in recent months that a Starship failure has affected air traffic. In January, debris from a previous test flight fell over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting similar disruptions. At that time, a piece of debris even struck a car, though no injuries were reported.

SpaceX faces regulatory scrutiny

The FAA has mandated that SpaceX conduct a full mishap investigation to determine the root cause of the failure.

“A mishap investigation is designed to enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again,” the FAA stated. The agency stated that SpaceX must receive approval before conducting another Starship test flight.

SpaceX acknowledged the failure in an update, stating, “Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines. This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship. Final contact with Starship came approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.”

Officials in Turks and Caicos confirmed that debris from the explosion had landed in the region. Local authorities are working with SpaceX on a recovery plan, though details on the cleanup effort remain undisclosed.

Growing concerns over space debris

The incident has reignited concerns over the growing problem of space debris. According to UN estimates, more objects have been sent into space between 2019 and today than in the entire history of spaceflight before 2019.

SpaceX alone has launched thousands of Starlink satellites, with plans to expand the network significantly. Critics argue that current space debris mitigation measures are insufficient and have called for stronger international regulations.

A group of researchers has urged the United Nations to adopt a new global agreement to safeguard Earth’s orbit, reported NewScientist. While there are existing treaties, such as the UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967, experts argue that stricter guidelines are necessary to manage the increasing risks posed by orbital pollution.

SpaceX has played a dominant role in the rapid expansion of orbital activity. The company currently operates around 5,420 Starlink satellites and plans to increase that number to over 12,000.

In 2023 alone, SpaceX attempted 98 of the world’s 223 orbital launches. According to estimates, the company is responsible for launching around 90 per cent of all US commercial space missions, with the US contributing to over 80 per cent of global space traffic.

What’s next for Starship and SpaceX

Despite the failure, SpaceX remains committed to developing Starship, which NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade. CEO Elon Musk has also expressed ambitions for Starship to facilitate human exploration of Mars.

The latest test flight featured several design modifications, including improvements to Starship’s flaps, computers, and fuel system. SpaceX had aimed to make further progress in its goal of returning Starship to the launch site intact.

However, much like the previous test flight, the spacecraft failed before it could reach its planned reentry phase.

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With inputs from agencies