SpaceX conducted its eighth test flight of the Starship rocket from its South Texas launch facility on Thursday evening. The Super Heavy booster successfully landed back at a "chopstick"-like tower after liftoff,
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued temporary flight restrictions for both airports after SpaceX confirmed that its Starship vehicle suffered a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."
US aviation authorities temporarily halted flights at several Florida airports over concerns about debris from SpaceX's Starship, which spun out of control shortly after launch.
The landing legs stuck up in the air and the melted rocket body hung off the side of the drone ship — making the first-stage booster nearly unrecognizable to casual observers. The only tell-tale signs that the object had been a Falcon 9 rocket were nine engines found intact.