The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch from Texas on Thursday, leading the aerospace company to declare the vessel a "loss" in the seventh test flight of the heavy-lift spacecraft.

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

A SpaceX Starship prototype failed in space on Thursday, minutes after launching from Texas, setting back the company's speedy rocket development efforts in a mission that was expected to debut a key satellite deployment demonstration.