A SpaceX Rocket launch is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.
The blackout in the Santa Barbara area disrupts communications at Los Angeles Airlines’ traffic control center and creates “no-go conditions for launches,” NASA said in the mail.
Control Center manages more than 177,000 square miles of airspace, including the California coast from LA to LA to San Luis Obispo, the Ventura region and the Pacific region, according to the FAA.
The decision came just 45 seconds before the rocket was released, with the official SpaceX call saying, “hold, hold, hold… we cancelled today due to airspace concerns.”
“The FAA has taken this step to ensure the safety of travelers,” the administration said.
The FAA also issued a ground stop at Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday due to the suspension, the airport said in a statement. The flight was repurposed and delayed. According to a spokesperson, power at the airport was not restored at about 9:30pm on Tuesday.
Additionally, the suspension has suspended 911 services across Santa Barbara County, according to the KTLA.
Regarding SpaceX launch, the rocket and its payload were still in good condition, NASA said.
The rockets were two twin satellites, the tandem reconnection and the cusp electrodynamic reconnaissance satellite, which are part of NASA’s tracer mission.
The two satellites study the Earth’s magnetosphere by determining how magnetic explosions send solar wind particles to the Earth’s atmosphere and how those particles affect space technology and astronauts.
The launch was scheduled for 11:13am Wednesday, NASA said. It will take place at Space Launch Complex 4 East in Vandenberg.
Last month, SpaceX launches from the same location illuminated the night sky in Southern California.
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