The US has grounded SpaceX's giant Starship rocket while an investigation is carried out into why one exploded during its latest test flight. The rocket's upper stage dramatically broke up and disintegrated over the Caribbean after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights to alter course to avoid falling debris.

The explosion of the SpaceX Starship rocket over the Caribbean Islands forced flight delays and diversions and may have caused property damage below.

Commercial airlines had to divert or delay their flights to avoid debris from the SpaceX Starship spacecraft that exploded Thursday during a flight test.

The United States on Friday grounded SpaceX's Starship and ordered Elon Musk's company to investigate why the spaceship spectacularly disintegrated in a fiery cascade over the Caribbean during its latest test mission.