Image credit: X

A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded minutes after launching from South Texas on Thursday, causing flight disruptions over the Gulf of Mexico and marking a setback for Elon Musk’s ambitious rocket program.

The mishap occurred during a test flight at 5:38 p.m. EST, when SpaceX lost contact with the upgraded Starship, which was carrying a payload of mock satellites but no crew.

Footage captured streaks of light and smoke trails over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as the rocket disintegrated. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot confirmed the loss of the vehicle, citing an “anomaly with the upper stage.”

Dozens of flights were diverted or delayed as debris fell into the Gulf. Miami and Fort Lauderdale departures faced delays of about 45 minutes, according to FlightRadar24. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly slowed and rerouted planes in the affected area, implementing its "debris response area" protocol before resuming normal operations.

READ MORE: Blue Origin's New Glenn hits orbit, fails to land booster

The failed test is a blow to SpaceX’s Starship program, which aims to develop reusable rockets for missions to Mars and large-scale satellite deployment. The Starship’s upper stage, touted as a "new generation ship with significant upgrades," was intended to splash down in the Indian Ocean an hour after launch.

Elon Musk attributed the explosion to an internal liquid oxygen leak that caused a pressure buildup, resulting in the rocket's breakup. Despite the failure, Musk posted a video of the debris field on X, stating, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

The incident could prompt an FAA investigation, potentially grounding Starship for weeks or months. The mishap also threatens Musk’s goal of completing 12 Starship launches in 2025, depending on how quickly SpaceX can implement fixes.

This setback comes amid regulatory tensions, with Musk having criticized the FAA for delays and fines. In September, Musk called for FAA Chief Mike Whitaker’s resignation after the agency postponed a SpaceX launch. Whitaker announced plans to step down before President-elect Donald Trump’s term begins, leaving his successor yet to be named.

Thursday’s failure coincided with Blue Origin’s successful first launch of its New Glenn rocket, intensifying competition in the private space industry.

Despite the upper stage failure, SpaceX’s towering Super Heavy booster returned to its launchpad as planned, using its Raptor engines to decelerate and hook onto the launch tower's mechanical arms. This marks a partial success in SpaceX’s iterative test-to-failure approach, which has seen dramatic setbacks as the company pushes its technology to its limits.

The mission was the seventh Starship test since 2023 in SpaceX’s multibillion-dollar effort to revolutionize space travel, though Thursday’s failure occurred during a phase the company had previously completed successfully.

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