SpaceX's Starship is grounded by the FAA after a mid-flight explosion, causing property damage on Turks and Caicos.

• SpaceX's Starship has been grounded by the FAA until an investigation into the cause of the rocket's midflight failure is completed.
• The regulator stated that it has received reports of damage to public property on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean.
• Before the FAA grants SpaceX a new license to launch Starship, the company must conduct an investigation and implement any necessary corrective actions.

The SpaceX Starship rocket is grounded due to a midflight failure investigation following the most recent test flight, which resulted in airlines diverting flights.

The regulator stated that although there have been no reports of public harm, they have received reports of public property damage on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean.

Before the FAA grants SpaceX a new license to launch Starship, the company must conduct an investigation and implement any necessary corrective actions.

On Thursday, the Starship rocket exploded and caused debris to rain down, resulting in the diversion and delay of dozens of commercial airline flights, including those operated by United Airlines and American Airlines.

According to SpaceX, the cause of the Starship's breakup was a fire in the vehicle. Footage from social media users in the area showed the rocket exploding in space.

The FAA has activated a "Debris Response Area" to alert aircraft of debris falling "outside of the identified closed aircraft hazard areas."

The FAA releases "Aircraft Hazard Areas" prior to rocket launches, informing pilots of potential debris fall locations in the event of a mid-launch malfunction.

On Thursday, SpaceX published a statement on its website stating that Starship debris landed "within the predefined hazard areas" in the Atlantic Ocean, which contradicts the FAA's explanation for activating a "Debris Response Area."

The latest SpaceX statement did not mention the specific language regarding the debris. The company's website stated that any surviving debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area after the failure.

The FAA stated that its information on the Starship debris landing outside the predefined hazard area is preliminary and subject to change. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.