Flights Redirected Due to Debris from SpaceX Starship Explosion | Science, Climate & Tech News
Several aircraft have had to change their routes or enter holding patterns to steer clear of potential debris from the SpaceX rocket explosion.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that it temporarily slowed down and redirected flights in the vicinity where the debris was falling back to Earth.
Flight tracking application FlightRadar24 noted that its most-followed flights last night after the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” – as SpaceX referred to it – included those circling or changing course over the Caribbean.
It seemed to indicate that several planes were flying in circular holding patterns, including a Spirit Airlines jet en route to Puerto Rico and an Air Transat flight heading to the Dominican Republic.
A Boeing 767 carrying Amazon cargo was diverted to Nassau in the Bahamas, while a JetBlue flight returned to its origin in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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SpaceX launches world’s largest rocket
The FAA commonly restricts airspace during space missions and can establish a “debris response area” to ensure safety for aircraft if a rocket encounters difficulties outside the originally designated zone.
Stunning footage shared on social media depicted debris from the 400-foot Starship rocket blazing through the sky, along with another clip captured from the cockpit of a small aircraft.
Despite the rocket’s explosion, SpaceX founder Elon Musk seemed to maintain a positive outlook, remarking on X: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
SpaceX launched the rocket from Boca Chica, South Texas, on Thursday at about 4:40 PM local time (10:40 PM BST).
This flight marked the seventh test for the newly upgraded Starship, which was intended to achieve a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean roughly one hour post-launch.
However, the company reported a loss of contact approximately eight and a half minutes into the flight, with the final data showing an altitude of 90 miles and a speed of 13,245 mph.
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There was some positive news, however – the booster section successfully returned to a launchpad and was captured between two large mechanical arms.
This marked the second time SpaceX achieved this particular milestone, as part of its strategy to reuse equipment and make space travel more affordable, with the ultimate goal of reaching Mars.
Earlier this week, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket alsosuccessfully launched two moon landers, while Jeff Bezos celebrated another success early Thursday morning.
Bezos’s company, Blue Origin, successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time.
