A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program.

SpaceX said its Starship space vehicle broke up during a flight meant to test the megarocket's capabilities. Videos on social media appeared to show debris streaming across the sky.

Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday (Jan 16). This forced airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program.

Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starship test flight ended in failure as the spacecraft exploded and broke apart, following a suspected fuel leak in the engine firewall.

La nave espacial Starship sufrió un “desmontaje rápido e imprevisto durante su ascenso”, confirmó Space X tras las fallas en el vuelo de prueba.

SpaceX plans to build a new vertical integration facility in Florida by Aug. 2026 for Starship assembly and integration.

The spacecraft was supposed to fly across the Gulf of Mexico on a near loop around the world. Data from the spacecraft indicated it reached an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245 mph. SpaceX says the craft’s six engines appeared to shut down,

Starship experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," which is a phrase SpaceX coined to describe an explosion.

Before the loss, SpaceX for the second time used giant mechanical arms to catch the booster back at the pad minutes after liftoff from Texas. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by a pair of mechanical arms dubbed chopsticks.

Elon Musk’s company revealed that the spacecraft’s six engines shut down one by one, leading to the loss of contact and the mission’s abrupt end. The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights.

A SpaceX Starship prototype failed in space minutes after launching from Texas yesterday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course

Among the first executive orders signed by President Trump was an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."