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A multitude of aircraft were compelled to reroute or enter holding patterns to steer clear of possible debris from the SpaceX rocket that exploded.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that it temporarily slowed down and redirected flights in the vicinity where the fragments were falling back to the ground.
Flight tracking application FlightRadar24 shared that its most monitored flights following the “rapid unscheduled disassembly”—a term coined by SpaceX—were those holding or diverting over the Caribbean region.
It seemed to depict various planes flying in circular holding patterns, including a Spirit Airlines jet en route to Puerto Rico and an Air Transat flight destined for the Dominican Republic.
A Boeing 767 carrying Amazon freight altered its course toward Nassau in the Bahamas, whereas a JetBlue flight retraced its route back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The FAA frequently closes airspace for space missions and can establish a “debris response area” to safeguard aircraft in the event a rocket encounters issues beyond its initially designated closure zone.
Dramatic footage circulating on social media showcased the debris from the 400ft Starship rocket illuminating the sky, with another clip capturing it from within the cockpit of a small aircraft.
In spite of the rocket’s explosion, SpaceX founder Elon Musk seemed to adopt an optimistic perspective, sharing on X: “Success is unpredictable, but entertainment is assured!”
SpaceX initiated the rocket launch from Boca Chica in southern Texas on Thursday at approximately 4:40 PM local time (10:40 PM in the UK).
This flight marked the seventh evaluation for the recently enhanced Starship, which was intended to execute a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour post-launch.
However, the organization reported that they lost communication approximately eight and a half minutes after liftoff, with the last data point indicating an altitude of 90 miles and a speed of 13,245 mph.
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Nonetheless, there was a notable achievement—the booster segment successfully returned to a launchpad and was captured between two enormous mechanical arms.
This marks the second occasion SpaceX has accomplished this specific task, forming part of its initiative to reuse equipment and lower space travel expenses, with the ultimate objective being a journey to Mars.
Earlier this week, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket also successfully deployed two lunar landers, while Jeff Bezos celebrated a significant triumph early on Thursday as well.
The Amazon founder’s enterprise, Blue Origin, successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time.