The FAA had to divert flights due to the SpaceX Starship explosion

The Federal Aviation Administration told TechCrunch that it had to “briefly” slow and divert a number of planes near the area where debris was seen after the explosion of the SpaceX spacecraft during a flight of rehearse on Thursday.

They could see several flights entering holding patterns or completely changing course in the airspace near Puerto Rico shortly after the spacecraft exploded on its journey into space, according to data from Flightradar24. The FAA said normal airspace operations have since resumed.

Airports suffered disruptions due to the diversions. Miami International Airport issued a 30-minute delay warning due to the “missile launch anomaly,” according to the FAA’s website. Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport also cited the same reason for a short delay.

SpaceX’s spacecraft took off early Thursday from the company’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in what was the seventh test flight of the heavy launch system. SpaceX knew it catch the massive rocket booster in its descent with the launch tower for the second time ever. The company hoped to test a load of new equipment and upgrades on the Starship part.

Not long after the ship broke up, videos and images of the debris went viral on social media. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk shared one of the videos on Xwriting, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”