By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A SpaceX Starship prototype failed 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 third Starship test flight last March saw the spacecraft reach its planned trajectory and fly halfway around the world before succumbing to the scorching heat of atmospheric reentry. In June, the fourth test flight ended with controlled splashdowns of the rocket's Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and of Starship in the Indian Ocean.

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered SpaceX to carry out a formal investigation into the breakup of its Starship rocket during a test flight Thursday that sent a spectacular shower of flaming debris plummeting back to Earth,

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is collaborating with SpaceX and other authorities to verify reports of damage to public property on the Turks and Caicos Islands. This investigation follows the dramatic failure of SpaceX’s Starship rocket,

The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation after losing its Starship vehicle and allegedly showering Turks and Caicos with debris, a release from the FAA stated.