A view of the Space X spacecraft on the launch pad during its seventh test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, USA
Maxar Technologies | Via Reuters
Several commercial flights have been diverted or delayed after the SpaceX spacecraft the rocket fell apart during the seventh flight test on Thursday.
Dozens of flights were affected, according to flight tracking system Flightradar24.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it “briefly slowed and directed aircraft toward the area where spacecraft debris was falling” after it issued a warning to pilots about the “hazardous area for falling Starship rocket debris.”
The rocket lifted off from a SpaceX facility near Brownsville, Texas, shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET and headed east of Texas. It disintegrated, and SpaceX said in X that it “will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand the root cause.”
The FAA has not received any reports of injuries or property damage caused by Starship debris, an agency spokesman told CNBC.
AND JetBlue Airlines According to FlightAware, another flight tracking website, a flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, was diverted back to Fort Lauderdale after nearly two hours of flight. JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other flights near Turks and Caicos, including a FedEx Flight tracking data shows that the cargo jet appeared to make a U-turn, and the Spirit Airlines flight also changed course.
The airline and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the disruptions.
Some American airlines A spokeswoman said the carrier made fewer than 10 redirections because of the problem.
Airlines and other commercial flights, as well as private aircraft, compete for airspaceespecially in the crowded area around Florida.
— CNBC's Michael Sheetz contributed to this report.