Watch moment Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket explodes in test flight and sends debris raining down on Earth

SpaceX's latest test flight experienced more issues on Thursday as its Starship rocket broke up over the Gulf of Mexico, forcing commercial airlines to divert their routes to avoid falling debris.

The incident occurred just eight and a half minutes into the flight from Texas, after the spacecraft's six engines began shutting down one by one during ascent.

The new and upgraded model was carrying 10 dummy satellites and was meant to complete a near loop around the world, similar to previous test flights.

Several flights had to alter their courses to avoid potential debris in and around the Caribbean region.

The test flight did achieve one notable success before its destruction, as SpaceX managed to catch the returning booster using the launch tower's giant mechanical arms - a feat accomplished only once before.

The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed "chopsticks".

"It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship," said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. "It's a flight test. It's an experimental vehicle."

SpaceX described the incident as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" in a post on X, prompting mockery on social media.

The last data received showed the spacecraft at an altitude of 90 miles, travelling at 13,245mph.