SpaceX, the private space technology company owned by Elon Musk, is asking federal authorities to approve a new round of tests for a prototype reusable rocket, but some of them may never make it back to the surface intact and will crash in the ocean.

Dozens of commercial airplanes were forced to change course to avoid falling debris after a SpaceX rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, Reuters reported. The massive Starship rocket broke up in space just minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday,

Flights across the Caribbean were hastily diverted on Thursday following the explosion of a rocket built by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX. The chaos was revealed in flight tracking data and audio exchanges between pilots and air traffic control, as reviewed by NPR.

Shrugging off bad weather, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its powerful New Glenn rocket on its maiden flight early Thursday, lighting up a cloudy overnight sky as it climbed away from Cape Canaveral in a high-stakes bid to compete with Elon Musk's industry-leading SpaceX.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket blasts off and reaches orbit on its initial flight. More Videos. How to make new friends using Reddit, Instagram, more

The New Glenn makes it safely into orbit for the inaugural test flight of a rocket that could rival those in Elon Musk's SpaceX fleet.