SpaceX test rocket explosion triggers air safety concerns for flights

A recent Wall Street Journal investigation of FAA records shows that the January 16 explosion of a SpaceX Starship rocket posed a significantly higher risk to commercial aviation than previously disclosed.

FAA documents show that the mid-air disintegration rained fiery debris across the Caribbean for nearly 50 minutes, forcing pilots to make harrowing split-second decisions. Some airlines had to decide whether to fly past the temporary no-fly zone or risk running out of fuel mid-air.

The report details that three aircraft, including a JetBlue flight and an Iberia Airlines jet, carrying a total of 450 passengers, were caught in the chaos.

Two of these planes were forced to declare fuel emergencies. However, all landed safely.

Concerns
The situation was further complicated by SpaceX’s failure to immediately alert the FAA via the official hotline, per documents. It left air traffic controllers to learn of the explosion from pilots who were already witnessing falling debris.

While SpaceX maintains that public safety remains its top priority, the event has triggered friction within the FAA. The aviation authority projects rocket operations to surge from a historical average of 24 per year to between 200 and 400 annually.