A SpaceX test flight has ended in failure after an upgraded Starship rocket exploded over the Atlantic.

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s technology company which aims to make humanity “multi-planetary”, last week launched an unmanned, “new generation” version of its fully reusable launch vehicle Starship.

Despite a promising ascent out of Texas, USA, staff lost contact with the spacecraft only eight minutes and thirty seconds into the flight.

SpaceX said the vehicle’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with initial data indicating a fire developed in the rear (or ‘aft’) section of the ship.

Footage captured by a family vacationing on Grand Turk island saw the exploding spacecraft gradually spread out into chunks of burning debris.

“This is not right, something happened,” said a man filming the event.

“This thing has exploded.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) promptly created a “Debris Response Area” and forced several aircraft to divert or temporarily halt their departures, leading to airline delays.

While there are no known injuries, the FAA said it was working with Space X and other authorities to confirm reports of property damage on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Everything looked good prior to take-off of SpaceX's 7th test flight. Source: YouTube

“The first Starship flight test of 2025 flew with ambitious goals: seeking to repeat our previous success of launching and catching the world’s most powerful launch vehicle while putting a redesigned and upgraded Starship through a rigorous set of flight demonstrations,” said SpaceX.

“It served as a reminder that development testing, by definition, can be unpredictable.”

Airlines adjust to debris

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said following Starship’s “unscheduled disassembly”, its most tracked flights were aircraft holding or diverting to avoid any potential debris.

The flight tracker showed departures from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were delayed by approximately 45 minutes thanks to “rocket launch anomaly”.

“Well, here’s an FAA delay note you don’t see every day,” wrote FlightRadar 24.

Reuters meanwhile noted flights over the Gulf of Mexico in particular were forced to alter course.

SpaceX said it flew within its designated launch corridor “as all US launches do to safeguard the public”.

Notably, the FAA only activates debris response areas when debris fall “outside of the identified closed aircraft hazard areas” – though SpaceX asserted any surviving piece of debris would have fallen within the designated hazard area.

On social media platform X, Musk posted a video of the debris with the caption: "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"

In the weeks leading up the launch, Australian airline Qantas similarly delayed several flights between Sydney and Johannesburg due to last-minute notifications of potential SpaceX rocket debris.

Short-lived celebration

Before the explosion, SpaceX staff celebrated a successful return of the spacecraft’s detachable booster to its launch and catch tower.

While this marked a repeat of the landmark booster catch from October last year, only moments later, company representatives told a live audience the ship’s six engines had dropped out, and contact with the ship had been lost.

Now, the FAA has asked SpaceX to conduct a “mishap” investigation which will see the regulator review multiple facets for public safety before determining if Starship can return to flight.

SpaceX said it will conduct a thorough investigation and seek out a root cause accordingly.

“As always, success comes from what we learn, and this flight test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary,” said SpaceX.