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

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.

Social media reports indicate the SpaceX Starship explosion was seen on the Treasure Coast. Did you take any photo or video?

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.

SpaceX said it has lost contact with its massive Starship rocket during its highly anticipated test launch on Thursday evening.