The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that SpaceX’s Starship rocket will remain grounded until the company and the agency complete an investigation into the midflight failure of the most recent test flight. The incident forced airlines to divert flights and delayed several others.
In a statement, the FAA confirmed that there have been “no reports of public injury.” However, the agency acknowledged receiving “reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos” islands in the Caribbean.
SpaceX must finalize the investigation and implement any necessary corrective actions before the FAA can issue a new license allowing Starship to launch again.
The FAA revealed that it had to divert and delay dozens of commercial airline flights—including several operated by American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Delta Air Lines—following the rocket’s explosion. The mishap resulted in debris falling shortly after the rocket’s launch on Thursday.
SpaceX stated that it suspects a fire within the vehicle caused Starship to break apart. Videos shared on social media from people in the affected region captured the rocket detonating in space, with footage showing orange balls of light streaking across the sky as debris descended. One such video from Marcus Haworth highlighted the scene over Turks and Caicos Islands on January 16, 2025.
The FAA also disclosed that it activated a “Debris Response Area” to notify aircraft of falling debris outside the “identified closed aircraft hazard areas.” Typically, before rocket launches, the FAA publishes “Aircraft Hazard Areas” to alert pilots about regions where debris might fall if an issue arises midflight.
A map showing the designated “Aircraft Hazard Areas” for SpaceX’s seventh Starship flight had been released before the launch.
However, SpaceX initially stated on its website Thursday that debris from Starship had fallen “into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas.” This statement appeared to contradict the FAA’s reasoning for activating a “Debris Response Area.”
As of Friday morning, SpaceX revised its statement on its website, omitting the specific claim about debris falling within predefined hazard areas. The updated language now says, more generally, that “any surviving pieces of debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area” following the failure.
When asked for clarification on whether Starship debris landed outside the defined hazard area, the FAA responded that its “information is preliminary and subject to change.”