SpaceX Starship Explosion Triggers Flight Diversions Near This Caribbean Island
17 January 2025
News Americas, New York, NY, January 16, 2025: Several flights heading to a popular Caribbean island were reportedly diverted on Thursday tonight following the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship rocket during a test flight.
According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, multiple aircrafts were rerouted from the Turks and Caicos Islands to avoid potential debris from the incident. One such flight, a JetBlue Airbus A320-232 en route from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico, was forced to return to Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily slowed and redirected air traffic in the area, issuing a warning about “falling debris of rocket Starship” and labeling the zone as “dangerous.” Normal operations resumed shortly after the incident.
The diversion followed SpaceX’s seventh Starship test flight, during which the Super Heavy Booster successfully landed back on the launchpad. However, the upper stage of the rocket, Starship, experienced what the company described as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” resulting in debris scattering over a wide area.
Social media footage captured debris streaking through the skies near the Turks and Caicos Islands, sparking safety concerns for nearby air traffic. Videos on social media appeared to show debris light up the sky near Turks and Caicos as it fell back to Earth.
Dean Olson, who captured footage of the Starship debris while in the area, told Business Insider that he heard the sound of constant “thunder” for about a minute after witnessing the explosion.
While SpaceX and JetBlue did not respond to requests for comment, the FAA’s swift actions minimized risks to aircraft in the vicinity.
This is the latest challenge for SpaceX’s Starship program, which has experienced similar incidents in previous tests.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is now part of the Donald Trump incoming administration, said in an X post on Thursday night that the rocket “had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall.”
Musk wrote that the leak “was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.”
“Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month,” he added.
See some footage HERE
