SpaceX debris grounds flights at South Florida airports
Flights at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) were delayed Thursday afternoon after debris from a failed SpaceX Starship launch over the Atlantic Ocean prompted ground stops.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued temporary flight restrictions for both airports after SpaceX confirmed that its Starship vehicle suffered a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" during ascent, resulting in lost contact with the spacecraft.
Ground stops and delays mount
At MIA, a ground stop was issued at 6:42 p.m. EST, initially lasting until 8 p.m. The advisory cited a "space launch incident" as the cause, with average departure delays climbing to 36 minutes and a maximum delay of 74 minutes. A similar ground stop at FLL was put in place at 6:46 p.m., leading to departure delays averaging 41 minutes and peaking at 67 minutes.
"The situation is evolving and we are working with the appropriate authorities to minimize the impact on travelers," said Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
SpaceX responds
SpaceX acknowledged the failure in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses."
The company added that it would analyze the data from the failed test to determine the cause and improve the reliability of future Starship flights.
Uncertain timeline for resolution
The FAA has not provided an exact timeline for when full operations will resume but indicated a "medium probability" that delays could extend further into the evening.
With SpaceX planning additional Starship launches in the coming months, aviation officials will likely reassess protocols to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
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