SpaceX is set to launch the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket, which will include a crucial test for how it will deploy satellites.

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -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.

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.

Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starship test flight ended in failure as the spacecraft exploded and broke apart, following a suspected fuel leak in the engine firewall.

The latest flight of the SpaceX Super Heavy-Starship includes multiple upgrades to improve safety and performance of the world's most powerful rocket.

After the successful booster recovery, SpaceX officials reported losing contact with the spaceship toward the end of the ascend.

SpaceX launched 21 of its Starlink internet satellites early Jan. 21, five days after a test flight of the company's Starship megarocket ended in an explosion.

If the weather cooperates, the Starship launch will follow the maiden flight of Jeff Bezos' already weather-delayed New Glenn rocket.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has suspended SpaceX rocket flights following the explosion of the upper stage of the Starship/Super Heavy. An investigation of the rain of space debris that fell to Earth after the explosion is necessary.