‘Extreme safety risk’ warning from FAA after THREE passenger jets in panic to avoid Musk rocket explosion

A SpaceX test flight that was “destroyed” less than ten minutes after launch in January put several airliners in danger as they flew over the Caribbean.

The seventh uncrewed Starship test flight was CEO Elon Musk’s latest attempt to make life on Mars a reality and came days before the launch of the Department of Government Effectiveness at President Donald Trump’s White House.

Federal Aviation Administration documents now show the collateral peril the explosion caused on three flights that evening, including a JetBlue trip to San Juan whose crew was told the rest of the trip could only be done “at your own risk.”

These risks included possible scattering of sky debris across the Caribbean for nearly an hour.

A controller had to intervene after two planes came too close to each other following the explosion.

The three planes were carrying a total of 450 people and were fortunately able to land safely after declaring a fuel emergency and passing through a temporary no-fly zone, the WSJ reported.

When an air traffic controller told one of the plane’s pilots that he would have to declare an emergency to land in San Juan, the response came: “In that case, we declare the emergency: Mayday.” Help. Help.’

After the rocket exploded, Musk posted on X: “Success is uncertain, but fun is guaranteed.”

A SpaceX test flight in January, which was “destroyed” less than ten minutes after launch, endangered three airliners flying over the Caribbean.

Starship’s seventh uncrewed test flight was CEO Elon Musk’s latest attempt to make life on Mars a reality

Additionally, the FAA claimed that SpaceX did not immediately call an official hotline required for failure to inform air traffic controllers.

In Miami, controllers only heard about the explosion debris from pilots who had to fly through it.

The FAA began studying how to better handle potential debris from explosions in February and became more determined after a SpaceX test vehicle exploded again in March.

However, the review ended in March, with the FAA saying that was because its recommendations had already been implemented and they needed to go outside the United States to consult with other experts.

“The FAA will not hesitate to act if additional safety measures are necessary,” they said in a statement.

They will need to be active, as the agency has said it wants to conduct 200 to 400 rocket launches per year in the future, many of which could be executed by Musk’s SpaceX Starship, a 400-foot-tall rocket described as the most powerful ever developed.

SpaceX declined to comment, while a JetBlue spokesperson said the airline was certain flights avoided any areas where debris had been seen.

The next-generation ship was launched from Texas in January and successfully flew for about eight minutes, with the teams’ second breathtaking booster shot, before contact was lost.

Authorities confirmed that the spacecraft was destroyed.

“Starship experienced a rapid and unplanned disassembly during its ascent. “Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause,” SpaceX said. posted on X.

“Every Starship launch is one step closer to Mars,” Musk said before takeoff, hoping his ships will be the first to launch humanity to Mars.

The next-generation ship was launched from Texas in January and successfully flew for about eight minutes, with the teams’ second breathtaking booster shot, before contact was lost.

A Federal Aviation Administration is now showing the collateral peril that the explosion resulted in three flights that evening, including a JetBlue trip to San Juan that the crew was told could only be taken “at your own risk.”

“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”

Debris, whose relationship to the spacecraft is unclear, was captured by a camera flying across the Caribbean just minutes after the flight test.

“Every Starship launch is one step closer to Mars,” Musk said before takeoff, hoping his ships will be the first to launch humanity to Mars.

SpaceX posted on X that the test flight featured “significant improvements.”

The new Starship was deployed higher – now measuring 403 feet – and with around 300 tonnes more propellant than the last test flight ship, with additional improvements for “reliability and performance”.

SpaceX announced that there would be “launch and capture tower hardware upgrades to increase booster capture reliability,” including improvements to sensor protection on the wands damaged during the last launch.

As well as a redesigned upper stage propulsion system that can carry 25% more propellant, as well as thinner, repositioned forward flaps to reduce heat exposure during re-entry.

The company also added ten dummy satellites, the same size as SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, to launch into space. They were to follow the same flight path as the spaceship, eventually being destroyed upon entry.

The message added that the flight “was intended to attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, conduct several re-entry experiments geared toward capturing and reusing the ship, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster.”

“Today’s flight test will launch a next-generation ship with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, perform several re-entry experiments geared toward capture and reuse of the ship, and the launch and return of the Super Heavy booster.”

SpaceX’s last successful launch took place in October during its fifth flight test. The sixth, which President-elect Trump attended in November, resulted in a controlled water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.