- SpaceX postponed a Falcon 9 launch over concerns an aircraft was flying near the launch site.
- It is unclear which aircraft, if any, prompted the aborted launch.
- Some outlets reported that a Delta flight from LA to Hawaii was to blame.
SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with 11 seconds to spare on Sunday when a plane appeared to fly into restricted airspace close to the launch site.
The launch, to send Starlink satellites into orbit, was being broadcast live on Space X’s X in its final five-minute countdown when a voice was heard saying “hold, hold, hold” at the 12-second mark.
Moments later, the same male voice said: “Held for a possible aircraft in the airspace.”
Falcon 9’s launch was then postponed, and the video ended.
It is unclear which aircraft, if any, prompted the aborted launch, as several flew close to the restricted area around the scheduled launch time.
Social media users and several media outlets suggested that Delta Flight 480, which flew from Los Angeles’ LAX to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at around 7 a.m. on Sunday, was the culprit.
According to data collected by FlightAware, the Boeing 767 traveled northward during its takeoff, turning west just past the Vandenberg Air Force Base, which SpaceX uses for Falcon 9 launches.
In a statement to Business Insider, Delta said the crew on the flight followed instructions from air traffic control and proceeded to Honolulu with “no issue.”
In audio of air traffic control communications posted on the YouTube channel VAS Aviation, an air traffic controller can be heard discussing the launch, and telling DL480’s flight deck that it “looks like you’re gonna have the best show for the rocket launch.”
Soon afterward, the ATC notes that SpaceX had initiated a “countdown hold.”
Another flight near the restricted zone at the time was Southwest Flight SWA1311 from San Diego to Honolulu. When contacted about the incident, Southwest directed Business Insider to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA told BI it had received no reports about the incident.
While it is unclear exactly which aircraft may have caused SpaceX to pause its launch, the incident highlights the issue of tensions between rocket launches and commercial aviation.
Just three days earlier, a Starship rocket owned by the Elon Musk-headed firm blew up over the Caribbean, resulting in dozens of planes diverting.
Last week, Australian airline Qantas said it has had to delay several flights between Australia and South Africa in recent weeks to avoid potentially flying through debris from SpaceX rockets splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
The Falcon 9 launch postponed on Sunday is now due to take place at 7:45 a.m. PST on Tuesday.
Read the full article here
