A prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket failed mid-flight shortly after launching from Texas on Thursday. The incident led to airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico being rerouted to avoid potential debris, marking a significant setback for Elon Musk's flagship rocket development program.

Approximately eight minutes after liftoff at 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT) from SpaceX's South Texas launch site, communication with the newly upgraded Starship, which was carrying a test payload of mock satellites, was lost, according to SpaceX mission control.

Footage captured by Reuters displayed glowing orange lights streaking across the sky over Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, with smoke trails visible in their path.

"We did lose all communications with the ship - that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage," Dan Huot, the SpaceX Communications Manager, said, ensuring a few minutes after the ship got lost.

The most recent failure of a Starship upper stage occurred in March last year during its reentry into Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. However, SpaceX mishaps have rarely resulted in significant disruptions to air traffic.  

According to a Reuters eyewitness, some flights were temporarily grounded at Miami International Airport. Flight records from FlightRadar24 revealed that at least 20 commercial flights either diverted to other airports or changed their routes to navigate clear of potential debris. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is responsible for overseeing private launch activities, confirmed it was evaluating the situation. 

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, posted a video on his X account of the field of debris and wrote: "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" 

SpaceX described the Starship upper stage, standing 2 meters (6.56 feet) taller than its predecessor versions, as a "new generation ship with significant upgrades" in its pre-test mission details. The rocket was intended to perform a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour after its launch from Texas.  

This mission marked SpaceX's seventh Starship test since 2023, as part of Elon Musk's multibillion-dollar initiative to develop a rocket capable of transporting humans and cargo to Mars while also deploying large numbers of satellites into Earth's orbit.

SpaceX's development strategy of testing to failure has historically involved dramatic malfunctions as the company seeks to push Starship prototypes to their design limits. However, Thursday's failure occurred during a phase of the mission that SpaceX had previously executed successfully.

Meanwhile, the massive Super Heavy booster returned to its launch pad as planned approximately seven minutes after liftoff. The booster decelerated its descent from space by reigniting its Raptor engines, allowing it to latch onto giant mechanical arms attached to the launch tower.