The incident in which a SpaceX rocket broke up after launch demonstrates the challenges the FAA will face as the number of commercial space flights increases.

Dozens of flights turned back to their original airport or were delayed after the FAA warned about debris from the latest SpaceX rocket launch.

The third Starship test flight last March saw the spacecraft reach its planned trajectory and fly halfway around the world before succumbing to the scorching heat of atmospheric reentry. In June, the fourth test flight ended with controlled splashdowns of the rocket's Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and of Starship in the Indian Ocean.

The FAA is requiring SpaceX to investigate what caused its latest Starship launch to end in an explosion before it uses the spacecraft again.

The resulting fire would have doomed the spacecraft. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered SpaceX to investigate what went wrong. The FAA said there were no reports of injuries from Starship debris.