SpaceX's mega-rocket Starship will launch for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on January 16, 2025.
Eric Gay | AP
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that SpaceX's Starship rocket is grounded until the company and regulator complete an investigation into the failure of its most recent test flight, forcing airlines to divert flights.
The regulator noted in a statement that while there have been “no reports of public injury,” it has “received reports of damage to public property in the Turks and Caicos Islands” in the Caribbean.
SpaceX must complete the investigation and take all required corrective actions before the FAA issues the company a new license to relaunch Starship.
The FAA has diverted and delayed dozens of commercial airline flights, including several operated by US airlines, JetBlue Airways And Delta Airlines – after the Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch on Thursday, raining down debris.
SpaceX said in a statement that it believes a fire in the vehicle caused the Starship to break up. Videos posted on social media by people in the region showed the rocket exploding in space.
Orange orbs fly through the sky as debris from a SpaceX rocket launched in Texas is spotted over the Turks and Caicos Islands on January 16, 2025.
Marcus Haworth@marcusahaworth | Marcus Haworth Via Reuters
Specifically, the FAA says it has activated a “Debris Response Area” to alert aircraft to debris that “falls outside the identified aircraft closed hazard areas.”
Before the rocket is launched, the FAA publishes “Aircraft Hazard Areas” that tell pilots where debris could fall if something goes wrong mid-launch.
A map of the “airplane danger areas” published before SpaceX's seventh Starship flight.
Federal Aviation Administration
SpaceX initially published a statement on its website Thursday that spaceship debris “fell within predefined hazard areas in the Atlantic Ocean,” seemingly contradicting the FAA's explanation for why a “Debris Response Area” was activated.
As of Friday morning, the latest SpaceX statement did not include that specific language. The company's website stated more broadly that “any remaining pieces of debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area after the failure.”
The FAA, in response to CNBC's request for clarification on whether spacecraft debris landed outside the predefined hazard area, reiterated that its “information is preliminary and subject to change.” SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.