According to a Wall Street Journal report, debris from the Starship explosion came within several dozen kilometers of passing commercial passenger aircraft, rather than remaining at a “safe distance” as SpaceX had suggested. Documents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicate that as a result of the incident, at least several flights had to be diverted or delayed to avoid potential danger.
The FAA temporarily closed portions of airspace over the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, affecting regional air traffic. Regulatory documents show that the risk was treated far more seriously than SpaceX’s initial communications implied, which focused on the absence of direct danger to people.
What is particularly striking is that SpaceX publicly downplayed the scale of the incident, while internal assessments by regulators pointed to debris passing much closer to commercial flight paths than previously assumed. These findings were among the reasons the FAA suspended further Starship launches until the investigation was completed and revised safety procedures were approved.
The incident occurred during one of Starship’s orbital test flights, which ended with the vehicle breaking apart mid-air. Although no aircraft were damaged and no injuries were reported, the FAA’s report shows that the safety margin was smaller than what had been communicated to the public.
Testing Starship and other extremely large rockets near heavily used air corridors presents a major challenge. The FAA has announced that future Starship launches will require more stringent risk analyses and airspace management procedures to reduce the impact of spaceflight tests on civilian aviation. Perhaps more importantly, many observers argue that SpaceX should approach such critical issues with greater transparency and provide more accurate public risk reporting.
