A SpaceX Starship rocket suffered a catastrophic failure on Thursday, breaking apart mid-flight just minutes after launching from its South Texas facility. The mishap forced commercial airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter their routes to avoid falling debris and posed a significant setback for Elon Musk’s ambitious Starship program.

The rocket, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites but no crew, lost communication with mission control approximately eight minutes after its 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT) liftoff. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot confirmed the failure, stating, “We did lose all communications with the ship – that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage.”

Video footage captured by Reuters showed fiery debris streaking across the sky over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leaving smoke trails in its wake. The incident triggered widespread air traffic disruptions, with dozens of flights diverted or delayed, particularly in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, according to FlightRadar24.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly halted and rerouted flights around the affected area. Normal operations resumed after the airspace was cleared of potential hazards.

The FAA, which oversees private spaceflight operations, is expected to launch an investigation into the incident. Such probes typically ground the affected rocket model until safety measures are assessed and implemented. Elon Musk later revealed that a preliminary analysis suggested an internal liquid oxygen leak caused a pressure buildup, leading to the rocket’s disintegration.

Despite the setback, Musk remains optimistic, stating, “Nothing so far suggests pushing [the] next launch past next month.”

Thursday’s failure marks the seventh Starship test since 2023. The test involved a new-generation upper stage, featuring significant upgrades over its predecessors. The rocket was intended to splash down in the Indian Ocean approximately an hour after launch.

SpaceX’s test-to-failure approach, while leading to occasional high-profile mishaps, is part of the company’s strategy to push the engineering boundaries of its vehicles. The Starship program aims to deploy satellites and eventually carry humans to Mars.

The incident came just a day after rival space company Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket, adding to the competitive dynamic between Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

While SpaceX continues to grapple with the challenges of rapid innovation, Musk’s ultimate vision of interplanetary travel remains steadfast. The Starship program’s future, however, may depend on the findings of the FAA’s investigation and how quickly SpaceX can address the issues that led to Thursday’s failure.