Australian airline Qantas delayed some flights by up to six hours to avoid potential rocket debris over the Indian Ocean.

Starship's previous six test flights occurred in April and November of 2023 and March, June, October and November of last year. SpaceX aimed to conduct a chopsticks catch of Super Heavy on Flight 6 as well, but a communication issue with the launch tower nixed that try, and the booster diverted for a Gulf of Mexico splashdown.

Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, pulled off a daring booster catch on its most ambitious test flight yet, but the spacecraft was lost. Follow for the latest news.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made light of Starship's fiery end. "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" he said on X.

The last time a Starship upper stage failed was in March of last year, as it was re-entering Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, but rarely has a SpaceX mishap caused widespread disruptions to air traffic. Dozens of commercial flights diverted to ...

While Elon Musk’s spaceflight company repeated a spectacular catch of its powerful booster stage, the upper stage experienced a catastrophic malfunction.

The second stage of Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, was lost on Thursday after a smooth launch from SpaceX’s Boca Chica base in southern Texas. Before confirming the news, SpaceX,

The last time a Starship upper stage failed was in March last year, as it was reentering Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.

"Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability," it read.

Who's up for a late-night launch? Weather permitting, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket should be visible on the Treasure Coast after liftoff on Wednesday.

The third Starship test flight last March saw the spacecraft reach its planned trajectory and fly halfway around the world before succumbing to the scorching heat of atmospheric reentry. In June, the fourth test flight ended with controlled splashdowns of the rocket's Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and of Starship in the Indian Ocean.

These simulators will splash down in the Indian Ocean, a critical step in demonstrating the Starship’s future utility for satellite launches.