According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Thursday that it took air control measures after the Starship test flight exploded and will require SpaceX to investigate the cause of the explosion.
On Thursday local time, SpaceX conducted its eighth test flight of Starship. The starship successfully completed the separation of the first and second stages and successfully used the "chopsticks to hold the rocket" technology to recover the first stage rocket. But not long after, contact with the spacecraft was lost. SpaceX later confirmed that the starship accidentally disintegrated and exploded.
The aviation tracking service Flightradar24 posted on X that the Starship explosion caused flight disruptions and some flights were rerouted in the Caribbean. Flight departures at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport were delayed, FAA data showed.
The FAA, which regulates private space launches, said it would ask SpaceX to investigate the cause of the explosion. After the explosion, the agency took air traffic control measures to ensure aircraft avoided the area where debris fell from the spacecraft, including suspending some flights. The agency also said that flight operations have now returned to normal.