Concerns about aviation safety are rising after it emerged that a passenger plane flew near debris that fell when SpaceX's Starship spacecraft exploded earlier this year.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) obtained Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents and reported on the 20th that on Jan. 16, when Starship exploded, burning fragments rained down over the Caribbean and could have led to casualties on aircraft in flight at the time. SpaceX launched Starship from Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas for its seventh orbital test flight, but it exploded in midair after the second-stage spacecraft separated.
A JetBlue passenger plane bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico, was notified by air traffic control that it might pass through a danger zone. The pilot had to decide whether to proceed through the hazardous area or detour at the risk of running low on fuel. An Iberia passenger plane and a private business jet were reportedly in similar situations to the JetBlue flight. All three flights, carrying 450 passengers in total, declared fuel emergencies and passed through the temporary flight-restricted area, and no accidents occurred.
The incident has raised concerns that rocket launches could undermine air traffic safety. In Feb., the FAA convened experts to review response measures for debris risks in the event of a spacecraft flight failure. The experts concluded that rocket accidents pose a serious risk to aviation safety.