According to Florida Today, the US Coast Guard has commenced an investigation after a Royal Caribbean cruise ship went too close to a SpaceX rocket launch on Sunday, causing the launch to be canceled.
Because a cruise ship was approaching the launch site’s no-go zone, an operator called off the mission approximately 30 seconds before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was set to lift off Sunday evening.
“We can confirm the cruise ship was Harmony of the Seas,” US Coast Guard spokesperson David Micallef said in a statement. “The Coast Guard is actively investigating Sunday’s cruise ship incursion and postponement of the SpaceX launch.”
“Our primary concern is the safety of mariners at sea, and we will continue to work with our federal, state and local port partners to ensure safe and navigable waterways,” Micallef added.
A spokesman for Royal Caribbean did not reply to a request for comment from FLORIDA TODAY.
Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said: “Port Canaveral fully supports the space industry in our region. This, unfortunately, was an isolated incident that happened outside of our control. The Coast Guard is conducting a full investigation, and we look forward to continuing to work with them and our space partners to ensure the continued success of this important enterprise.”
Launch engineers waited as long as they can and for the Coast Guard to fix the matter, but they eventually ran out of time to meet the deadline for the instantaneous window. It was the fourth postponement for the mission, which had previously been canceled due to bad weather near Launch Complex 40.
The fifth attempt to launch an Italian Space Agency Earth observation satellite was set for 6:11 p.m. Monday, and it was launched at that moment.
Source: Us Coast Guard/Florida Today/YahooNews
