Posted on 11/11/2017 3:49:10 PM PST by BenLurkin
A cargo resupply mission scheduled to launch to the International Space Station this morning (Nov. 11) was aborted at the last minute due to aircraft flying in the restricted airspace over the launch site at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility here in Wallops Island, Virginia.
Orbital ATK's Antares rocket was one minute away from liftoff when flight controllers abruptly aborted the launch at 7:36 a.m. EST (1236 GMT), when the aircraft entered the restricted area. With the five-minute launch window closed for the day, Orbital ATK rescheduled the Antares launch for no earlier than 7:14 a.m. EST (1214 GMT) on Sunday (Nov. 12). You can watch the launch live on Space.com beginning and 6:45 a.m. EST (1145 GMT) .
"The launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft has scrubbed for Saturday after an aircraft was detected in the vicinity of the launch pad," NASA officials said in a statement.
In a post-abort briefing at the Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center this morning, Orbital ATK officials said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that a small personal aircraft entered the restricted airspace while flying about 6 miles (10 kilometers) offshore at an altitude of approximately 500 feet (150 meters).
It is not yet clear how the aircraft managed to escape detection until the last minute before launch, Orbital ATK officials said. The FAA issues notices to aviators about airspace restrictions well in advance before rocket launches. At this time, Orbital ATK does not know who was piloting the aircraft in question, but the FAA is investigating the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
That should be a 1 year revocation.
This will change bigtime, come January 1 2020, when ADS-B "out" is required equipment. The new transponder capability will transmit the aircraft call sign continuously. I suppose one could try to evade by shutting it off, but that in of itself gets one in a heap o' trouble. And, in this case, it was probably just a wayward lost pilot. Actually, this plane may already have ADS-B "out", and the identity is already known by the FAA, if not the media.
Viewable from a large area of the East coast. Obviously the link date is for today’s scheduled time but, with clear skies predicted, it might be visible to a lot of folks in the morning.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/wallops/2017/antares-set-for-launch-saturday-nov-11
Must have been Menendez returning from a weekend retreat in the Caribbean.
Sent the pilot the bill for the cost of cancelling the launch and rescheduling. He'll probably have to sell the plane to pay the bill.
I imagine the folks who reserved hotel rooms in the area to view the launch were more than a little disappointed.
Just Bob Menendez, heading down the Caribbean for some low-profile R&R. Thanks BenLurkin.
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