Orlando International Airport officials announced they were briefly under a Federal Aviation Administration "ground stop" because of space launch debris.

The explosion of a huge SpaceX rocket above South Florida led to massive headaches for air travelers who were forced to endure unexpected delays due to the company's latest mishap on Thursday.

South Florida residents were shaken by the mid-air explosion of a SpaceX starship eight minutes into its test flight Thursday evening, causing debris that posed a threat to nearby airplanes and leading to flight stoppages in South Florida and the Caribbean.

Flights in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando had been halted for about an hour following the failed launch by SpaceX with their largest and most powerful rocket yet. Linda Burt, a witness, said, “I thought it was a meteor. It’s pretty cool.” A giant orb jetted across the sky.

After lifting off from Launch Complex 40 on a southeasterly trajectory, the Falcon 9 will deploy a payload of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

SpaceX pulled off the rocket booster catch maneuver during its eighth test flight but the Starship spacecraft exploded over the Caribbean, according to reports from residents.