A SpaceX rocket broke apart in midair shortly after launch in Texas on Thursday, disrupting flights and raising concerns over falling debris.
The uncrewed Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, lost contact with mission control before it exploded.
SpaceX called it a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” and blamed engine failures.
Debris was spotted falling over parts of the Caribbean, including The Bahamas, though no injuries or damage were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded flights at several Florida airports as a precaution.
This was the eighth test flight for Starship and its second consecutive failure.
SpaceX said engineers would analyse the data to improve future launches. NASA plans to use a version of Starship for Moon missions, while Elon Musk hopes the spacecraft will eventually transport humans to Mars.