Wayward Aircraft Forces SpaceX To Scrub Rocket Launch

SpaceX was only seconds away from launching a rocket on Tuesday when the launch countdown was forced to stop after an aircraft entered the launch range. The launch would’ve been the 20th mission this year, and the wayward aircraft has forced a delay by at least today. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has criticized rules around rocket launches in the past.

Musk tweeted that an aircraft entered the “keep out zone,” which he calls “unreasonably gigantic.” Musk is calling for major regulatory reform, saying that the current regulatory system is broken. Musk also says that there is simply no way that humanity can become a spacefaring civilization without regulatory reform.

Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure, Musk wrote. Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.

SpaceX has been very busy this year lauching numerous missions putting its own satellites and satellites for other agencies into orbit. SpaceX is currently building up a constellation of Starlink satellites to provide broadband Internet all around the world.