SpaceX Starship Flight 8 takes off on March 6 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded minutes after it launched from Texas Thursday.

The big picture: Debris from the rocket caused flight delays in cities across the U.S., including Miami and Philadelphia, FAA data show.

• It’s the spacecraft’s second consecutive test flight from Elon Musk’s space technology company to end in destruction, after another such explosion nearly two months ago.

Driving the news: “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost,” SpaceX said in a post on X.

• The SpaceX team then activated on its pre-planned contingency responses, and said they’ll review data from the flight test to better understand the cause.
• “As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability,” the post read.

Zoom in: An FAA spokesperson told Axios in an emailed statement Thursday evening that the agency is requiring SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during the launch.

• “During the event, the FAA activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location,” the spokesperson said.
• Normal operations have resumed, per the FAA.
• Representatives for SpaceX did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to state that debris from the rocket caused flight delays in Miami and Philadelphia.