FAA warns of extreme safety risk after SpaceX Starship explosion endangered Caribbean flights

An uncrewed SpaceX Starship prototype test flight in January ended with a rapid disassembly less than ten minutes after liftoff, triggering an extreme safety risk for three passenger jets flying over the Caribbean, according to Federal Aviation Administration documents.

The seventh Starship test flight, launched from Texas, featured a taller ship and upgrades intended to improve reliability and performance. It flew for about eight minutes before contact was lost and the spacecraft was destroyed. Debris was observed crossing the Caribbean in the minutes after liftoff, and air traffic controllers had to intervene as two aircraft came perilously close to one another. WSJ reported that the three planes—carrying a total of about 450 people—landed safely after declaring fuel emergencies and navigating through a temporary no-fly zone. One JetBlue flight bound for San Juan was told its onward journey could be made "at your own risk" as crews maneuvered to avoid debris.

The FAA said SpaceX failed to immediately call the official hotline required for reporting failures to air traffic control. In Miami, controllers learned of debris only after pilots reported it during flight. The agency opened a review in February to assess debris handling and overall safety procedures, with heightened attention after a second SpaceX test vehicle exploded in March. The review was later closed in March, with regulators saying their recommendations had already been implemented and that they would seek outside expert input abroad. The FAA stressed it will act if additional safety measures are needed and reiterated its plan to oversee a high cadence of launches in the coming years, projecting 200 to 400 rocket launches annually, many of them from SpaceX’s Starship program.

SpaceX did not provide a comment on the matter. JetBlue said its crews were confident they avoided debris and did not encounter restricted airspace. The January test involved a new-generation Starship, rising to about 403 feet tall, with roughly 300 more tons of propellant than the prior version, and included upgrades to the launch and catch tower intended to increase booster-recovery reliability. SpaceX described the mission as featuring significant upgrades, including a redesigned upper-stage propulsion system capable of carrying more propellant and slimmer, repositioned forward flaps to reduce heat exposure during reentry. Ten dummy satellites the size of SpaceX’s Starlink craft were also aboard to test in-space deployment and follow the same flight path before destruction on reentry.

Elon Musk, before liftoff, posted that "Every Starship launch is one more step closer towards Mars" as the company pursues a reusable fleet capable of rapid reflight and sustained deep-space missions. The January test followed SpaceX’s October fifth flight test and a November test that President-elect Trump attended, which ended with a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the notes.

The episode underscores the ongoing tension between rapid aerospace experimentation and the safety measures regulators say are necessary to protect airspace and passengers. SpaceX has repeatedly stressed that each flight yields data to inform reliability and reuse, while authorities warn that the nation must be prepared to adjust rules as technology evolves. As the company continues toward more ambitious milestones, including payload deployments and booster catches, the FAA’s stance remains firm: safety remains paramount, and oversight will adapt as needed to accommodate a high-frequency launch landscape.