Debris from the rocket's upper stage may have caused property damage, prompting an investigation into Starship's "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

The Federal Aviation Administration has paused SpaceX's the launch of its Starship rocket as the U.S. agency oversees an investigation by the private company of the breakup after a test launch Thursday.

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.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is requiring an investigation into the explosion of SpaceX's Starship upper stage during the vehicle's seventh test flight on Jan. 16.

On Friday, the FAA issued a mishap investigation against SpaceX after the upper stage of the Starship lost communications and then blew up during its seventh test flight on Thursday minutes after its launch from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

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.