SpaceX halted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday with 11 seconds to spare after a plane allegedly flew into restricted airspace near the launchpad.
The California exhibition set to send Starlink satellites into orbit fell apart at the last minute when an aircraft encroached on the rocket’s launch space, according to a broadcast on Space X’s X account.
At the 12-second mark of the countdown, someone can be heard exclaiming, “Hold, hold hold!”
“Uh, held for a possible aircraft in the airspace,” the same voice can be heard saying moments later.
The launch, which was initially supposed to take place on Saturday, was then postponed, according to Business Insider.
It was not immediately clear which aircraft, if any, caused the aborted launch.
Several planes flew near the restricted area near the scheduled launch time, according to the outlet.
While social media culprits suspected Delta Flight 480, which flew from Los Angeles to Honolulu early Sunday, the airline said they followed air traffic control’s instructions and had “no issue.”
Meanwhile, audio from air traffic control shared on the YouTube channel VAS Aviation revealed an air traffic controller telling the Delta flight they would have “the best show for the rocket launch.”
Another flight, Southwest Flight SWA1311, flying from San Diego to Honolulu, was also near the launch zone at the time, but neither the airline nor the FAA received reports about the incident, according to the outlet.
The rocket was successfully launched Tuesday morning, according to the SpaceX X account.
“Falcon lands for the 400th time!” the account wrote, confirming the deployment of 27 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX halted rocket launch seconds before takeoff Sunday
In a surprising turn of events, SpaceX was forced to cancel a scheduled rocket launch just seconds before liftoff on Sunday. The Falcon 9 rocket, which was set to carry a payload of satellites into orbit, was halted due to an unspecified issue that was detected during the final countdown.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, took to Twitter to explain the situation, stating that the decision to abort the launch was made out of an abundance of caution. He assured followers that the issue would be thoroughly investigated and addressed before the next launch attempt.
This unexpected delay serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges of space travel, and the importance of rigorous safety protocols in the industry. While disappointing for those eagerly anticipating the launch, the decision to prioritize safety over schedule demonstrates SpaceX’s commitment to ensuring the success of their missions.
Stay tuned for updates on when the rescheduled launch will take place, as SpaceX works to resolve the issue and resume their ambitious efforts to explore the cosmos.
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SpaceX, rocket launch, space exploration, technology news, Elon Musk, aerospace industry, rocket technology, space travel, space missions, SpaceX news, rocket launch update, SpaceX delay, rocket launch postponed, SpaceX launch abort
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