The Space-X Starship rocket lifted off around 6:30pm on Thursday, March 6th, from Space-X Starbase in Texas. The reusable first-stage Super Heavy booster was caught by the tower. However, the rocket's upper stage lost engine power and entered into a spin, as the spacecraft experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." As it re-entered the atmosphere, debris began falling down around the Bahamas and Caribbean, and it could be seen from Southern Florida.
Before flight, the FAA establishes a pre-planned debris response area (DRA), which is a designated airspace that is activated during a spacecraft failure in order to prevent aircraft from entering an airspace with falling debris. The FAA during the crash, halted air traffic around Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando due to the risk of debris. According to the reported data, there were 171 departure delays, 28 flights were diverted, and 40 airborne flights were held an average of 22 minutes while the DRA was active.
The original plan for the flight was to make a full orbit around Earth and re-enter over the Indian Ocean for a splashdown landing.
The FAA approved the launch license for this test flight, stating that it reviewed the first 2023 Starship failure investigation. The FAA however stated that their new investigation would require Space-X to examine the failure's cause and get agency approval before Starship can fly again.