BOCA CHICA, TX — Moments after a next-generation Starship booster exploded in a spectacular fireball, SpaceX officials clarified that the event was not a technical error, but a “high-energy celebration” of the FAA lifting its daytime launch restrictions.

The massive rocket fail occurred just as the federal government resumed normal operations. While observers saw a catastrophic breakdown, company representatives insisted the explosion was a feature designed to test the limits of gravity and insurance policies. They noted that with the recent government shutdown over, they finally had permission to blow things up while the sun was out.

“We call this ‘Dynamic Disassembly for Daylight,'” said Brock Velocity, SpaceX Director of Positive Spin. “Why hide a billion-dollar fireball in the dark? Now that the FAA allows daytime launches again, we wanted to make sure the neighbors could clearly see the Starship turn into confetti.”

Regulators who had previously restricted launch times confirmed that the explosion was fully compliant with the new rules. The agency noted that as long as the rocket pieces fall down instead of up, the mission counts as data collection.

“We are just happy to see the sky full of expensive metal again,” said Linda Clipboards, FAA Senior Manager of Looking at Things. “It really boosts morale to see a private company turn money into smoke so efficiently.”

At publishing time, engineers were sweeping up the launchpad to see if they could glue the booster back together for an afternoon explosion.

Inspired by actual events.