FAA briefly halts flights to Florida airports after SpaceX test failure

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights to several Florida airports on Thursday night after a SpaceX Starship testing failure.

The incident marks the second time this year that SpaceX experienced a mishap during a flight test of Starship resulting in debris raining down and commercial flights disrupted.

Affected airports included Miami International Airport, which is an American Airlines hub, and airports serving Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, Florida.

The regulator said, in a statement on Thursday, it is now requiring SpaceX to “perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during launch operations on March 6.”

During the event, the FAA said, it “activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location. Normal operations have resumed.”

SpaceX said, in a post on X on Thursday night: “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.”

The Elon Musk-led aerospace and defense contractor also said it plans to “review the data from today’s flight test to better understand” the root cause of the mishap.

Starship took off from the company’s spaceport near Brownsville, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. ET for its eighth test flight.

In a livestream showing the test flight, several engines appeared to cut out as the upper-stage Starship vehicle was still climbing. The company then lost communication with the spacecraft but was able to successfully use the arms of its launch tower to catch the rocket’s Super Heavy Booster.

On Jan. 16, dozens of flights were diverted after SpaceX’s Starship rocket broke up, and the FAA warned of “space vehicle debris” falling. The regulator had warned pilots of “dangerous area for falling debris of rocket Starship.”

Commercial airlines, private planes and the space industry compete for airspace, particularly in the congested area off of Florida.

SpaceX was working on a mishap investigation into what caused the earlier incident but was allowed by the FAA to proceed with the eighth test flight before completing the inquiry.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for further information.

The tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, Starship is critical to SpaceX’s ambitions. When it is stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 403 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter.

SpaceX founder Musk is also a senior Trump advisor, tasked by the president with making sweeping cuts to government agencies. His reach into regulatory agencies, including the FAA, has drawn criticism and concern from Democratic lawmakers worried about conflicts of interest, security risks and more.