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

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.

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.

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

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 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 ...

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.

Starship experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," which is a phrase SpaceX coined to describe an explosion.

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.

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

Passengers on Qantas flights between Sydney and Johannesburg have encountered unexpected delays recently, with the airline attributing the disruptions to falling rocket debris from Elon Musk ’s SpaceX. The southern Indian Ocean, a region frequently crossed by Qantas flights, has become a designated splashdown zone for re-entering SpaceX rockets.