A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday (January 16), forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program.

Eyewitness video showed balls of light streaking across the sky over Turks and Caicos, leaving trails of smoke behind.

Reuters was able to confirm the location from the position and shape of the buildings and trees seen in the video which matched satellite imagery of the location. Reuters was able to confirm the date from other clips uploaded to social media showing the same scene.

SpaceX mission control lost contact with the newly upgraded Starship, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites but no crew, eight minutes after liftoff from its South Texas rocket facilities at 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT).

Dozens of commercial flights diverted to other airports or altered course to avoid potential debris, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24. Departures from airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were also delayed by about 45 minutes, it added.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private launch activities, said it had briefly slowed and diverted planes around the area where space debris was falling, but normal operations had since resumed.