US regulators and government officials in Turks and Caicos are looking into reports of property damage in the island nation caused by debris falling after a SpaceX Starship vehicle exploded over the ocean during a test mission Thursday,

After delays, SpaceX's uncrewed Starship vehicle, composed of both the spacecraft itself and the Super Heavy rocket booster, launched Thursday.

The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, was successfully caught in the launch tower's mechanical arms for only the second time

A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program.

The rocket company said the space vehicle came apart during its ascent. Videos posted to social media showed debris streaking through the sky.

Dramatic footage showing streaks of light zipping across the sky surfaced online following Elon Musk's Starship explosion over the Atlantic 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.

The uncrewed Starship spacecraft was apparently destroyed during its first flight launch of 2025 that blasted off from south Texas.

A fire in the aft section of SpaceX's Starship trigged the apparent explosion that destroyed the spacecraft, the company says.

"Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity."

Authorities in Turks and Caicos Islands confirmed they diverted all flights from airspace during the explosion and urged residents not to touch fallen debris.