The FAA said in a statement that it “briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where the spacecraft debris was falling.” It said normal operations have resumed.

SpaceX launched its massive super-heavy Starship mega rocket on its seventh test flight on Thursday, successfully “catching” the first-stage booster on its firing stand but losing its next-generation Starship upper stage spacecraft, which apparently broke apart as it reached space. Debris from the destroyed Starship delayed flights from Miami, Florida, for a time, federal officials said.

Telemetry from the Starship froze eight minutes and 27 seconds after launch due to an unexpected engine shutdown or failure. SpaceX later confirmed the ship’s demise in a post on X, using a very humorous description:

“Starship experienced a sudden and abrupt disintegration during ascent. The teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to understand the root cause. As such, the test builds on what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve the reliability of Starship.”

“We (lost) all contact with the ship,” a SpaceX launch commentator said of the Starship. “It’s basically telling us that there was an anomaly in our upper stage.” A moment later, he confirmed: “We lost the upper stage.”

The Federal Aviation Administration also reported that flights at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports were delayed by up to an hour because of what it described as a “rocket launch anomaly.”

The FAA said in a statement that it “briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where the spacecraft debris was falling.” It said normal operations have resumed.

“The FAA is aware of an anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission that launched from Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16,” the agency said in a follow-up statement, adding that it is “assessing the operation.”

Video posted on social media and verified by CBS News shows the Starship debris falling in the area of ​​the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

In its seventh test flight, SpaceX launched its enormous super-heavy Starship mega-rocket Thursday. The first-stage booster was successfully “caught” on the firing stand, but the company lost its next-generation Starship upper stage spacecraft, which broke apart as it entered space. According to federal officials, debris from the demolished Starship momentarily stopped flights from Miami, Florida.

A sudden engine failure or shutdown caused the Starship’s telemetry to freeze eight minutes and 27 seconds after launch. Later, SpaceX used a humorous depiction in a post on X to confirm the ship’s destruction:

“During ascension, Starship underwent a sudden and unexpected dissolution. To learn more about the underlying problem, the researchers will keep going over the data from today’s flying test. We learn from such testing, and today’s flight will help us increase the reliability of the Starship.”

Regarding Starship, a SpaceX launch commentator stated, “We (lost) all communication with the ship.” “That indicates that there was an upper stage anomaly.” “We lost the upper stage,” he verified a few moments later.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration said that a “rocket launch anomaly” caused aircraft at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports to be delayed by up to an hour.

The FAA “briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where the spacecraft debris was falling,” according to a statement. “Normal operations have resumed,” it said.

The first-stage booster was successfully “caught” on the firing platform of SpaceX’s huge super-heavy Starship mega rocket during its seventh test flight on Thursday. However, the company lost its next-generation Starship upper stage capsule, which reportedly broke apart as it entered space. According to federal officials, flights from Miami, Florida, were temporarily delayed by debris from the damaged Starship.

A sudden engine failure or shutdown caused the Starship’s telemetry to freeze eight minutes and 27 seconds after launch. Later, SpaceX used a hilarious description in a post on X to confirm the ship’s demise:

During ascent, the starship abruptly and suddenly disintegrated. In order to identify the underlying problem, the researchers will keep analyzing the data from today’s flying test. Therefore, the test expands on our knowledge, and today’s flight will assist us in enhancing Starship’s dependability.

Regarding the Starship, a SpaceX launch commentator stated, “We (lost) all contact with the ship.” “It essentially informs us that our upper stage had an anomaly.” “We lost the upper stage,” he acknowledged a bit later.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration said that a “rocket launch anomaly” caused aircraft at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports to be delayed by up to an hour.

The FAA “briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where the spacecraft debris was falling,” according to a statement. “Normal operations have resumed,” it said.

In a subsequent statement, the FAA stated that it is “evaluating the operation” and that it is aware of an issue that happened during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission that took off from Boca Chica, Texas, on January 16.

Video of the starship debris falling in the Caribbean’s Turks and Caicos Islands was shared on social media and confirmed by CBS News.

“We had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity,” Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of SpaceX, later suggested on his X platform. We will add fire suppression to that volume and most likely expand the vent area in addition to obviously double-checking for leaks.”

In a press release, SpaceX stated that “initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly with debris falling into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas.”

According to SpaceX, anyone who believes they have found debris should contact the company’s debris hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or local authorities.

At 5:37 p.m. Eastern Time, the enormous rocket launched from SpaceX’s production and flight test site on the Gulf Coast in Boca Chica, Texas, with 33 methane-burning Raptor engines producing up to 16 million pounds of thrust.

The booster lifted away from its launch pad and arced beautifully over to the east on top of a long jet of burning exhaust that could be seen for dozens of kilometers around, gulping 40,000 pounds of fuel per second.

On the strength of its six Raptor engines, the Starship continued its ascent to space after the Super Heavy dissipated two minutes and forty seconds after liftoff.

In the meantime, the booster turned over, restarted a number of engines to go in the opposite direction, and returned to Boca Chica, where the special mechanical arms on the rocket’s launch gantry were ready and open.

The Super Heavy re-started its engines and swung to the pad, plummeting tail first back to Earth. It then sat directly between the chopsticks, which closed smoothly to catch its prey in midair.

Last October’s successful first such grab left thousands of cheering locals and visitors in awe. However, due to launch damage to sensors on the tower that were required to aid guide the descending aircraft, the Super Heavy utilized for the subsequent mission a month later was diverted to a Gulf of Mexico splashdown.

SpaceX engineers are hopeful that they will soon be recovering Super Heavy boosters with the same regularity they have shown with the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rockets, a crucial component of SpaceX’s drive to reduce launch costs. New sensors with stronger shielding were installed to eliminate such damage. As part of the reusability theme, one of the 33 Raptor engines of the Super Heavy was used in a prior test flight to show that it could fly many missions. What SpaceX referred to as a “new generation” Starship was equipped with the majority of the enhancements that were tested on Thursday. The booster “landed,” and the upper stage entered space two minutes later.