The date is January 16, 2025. Commercial airline flights are in the air across the Caribbean in the region around Puerto Rico, Cuba, and surrounding islands. An alert comes in at 5:49 p.m. from air traffic controllers that a SpaceX rocket launch, Starship Flight 7, had exploded in that air space. All active flights must leave the area immediately for safety, to avoid the debris. At least 20 planes are forced to make emergency re-routes. This story is not an unusual one, though, and as SpaceX continues to have exploding rockets in the sky, it has become a more and more prevalent problem for planes.
SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is a private company specializing in launching spacecraft from Earth into orbit. It has a heavy focus on innovation, space exploration, and advancing the latest technology. With that comes inherent risks, however, including the continuous problems with how often SpaceX’s Starship craft explodes.
Over the years that SpaceX has launched rockets, it has caused danger to the flight paths of commercial airlines. These planes have to quickly divert course, which can cause chaos in the skies and put them at greater risk for in-air collisions. The explosions have forced planes to make emergency landings to refuel, even having to pass through dangerous debris zones because they don’t have enough fuel to remain in the sky. Now, attention turns to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about what should be done.
How the FAA is handling SpaceX explosions
The FAA is responsible for ensuring the safety of airlines while in the air. However, recently it has also taken on the role of promoting the commercial space industry’s efforts. This has given it a difficult balancing act of being both an advocate for SpaceX’s flights and an advocate for safe air for airplanes. It can seem like a conflict of interest.
The FAA must approve SpaceX’s plans prior to launch, identify where in the sky a danger zone could potentially be in the event of an explosion, and provide emergency protocol for airlines. The FAA determines if the risk posed by potential explosions are within acceptable limits. SpaceX has had so many explosions, however, that there is even a place online to watch all the videos of a SpaceX Starship blowing up.
In February 2025, the FAA had an open investigation into Starship Flight 7. Yet the agency still allowed Starship Flight 8 to carry on under a Trump administration practice that permits companies like SpaceX to launch even under open safety investigations, so long as they continue to meet regulatory requirements. The FAA implements what is learned from previous investigations into its future analysis of planned launches, so it can seem a bit odd to allow continuous rocket launches while investigations into what went wrong previously are still open.
Public perception of SpaceX explosions
Despite the seriousness of the risk, Elon Musk posted a video on X of a rocket explosion with the caption “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” SpaceX is optimistic about its endeavors and future, even opening its first Starlink retail store. As for the pilots, passengers, and general public, opinions are a bit mixed about the prevalence of these explosions.
Pharmaceutical CEO Ray Peck was in mid-flight from Miami to Colombia when the plane had to reverse course due to the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 explosion in March 2025. In an interview with NBC News, Peck stated, “I’ve never had a situation where I’ve had to say, ‘No, I’m not late because of a missed connection, mechanical problem, or even an unruly passenger. Yeah, our flight was delayed and had to go back to Miami because a rocket exploded over our heads and the pieces were falling down.”
Discourse on a Reddit forum about SpaceX causing airplane problems had opinions on both sides. Some waved off the inherent risk, praising SpaceX’s continuous advancement in space sciences and the future the company is trying to usher in. Others had a different viewpoint, believing airline passenger safety should come first, with some making sarcastic humor about Musk not caring about such incidents. No matter which way you look at the situation, it should be interesting to see how the FAA handles future regulations and permits if more explosions keep happening.
