Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A US Air Force flight bound for Antarctica had to turn around and head back to New Zealand due to a warning about “potentially hazardous” space activity. I mean, what’s next, alien invasions? According to New Zealand authorities, the flight was warned about the potential hazard by Russia’s State Air Traffic Management Corporation, which notified the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA then issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to alert aircraft operators to the potential hazard.
The US Air Force flight, a C-17 Globemaster III, departed Christchurch Airport around 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, but returned to Christchurch just before 11:30 a.m., roughly 150 minutes later. I guess you could say it was a bit of a false start. The flight was scheduled during the annual Winter Fly-in (WINFLY) period, which is a busy time for transporting staff, equipment, and supplies to the US Antarctic research base, McMurdo Station, and New Zealand’s Scott Base in Antarctica.
The CAA said it was made aware of a planned missile launch and “associated potential hazard to international airspace” within New Zealand’s Oceanic Flight Information Region (FIR). Now, I’m no expert, but it sounds like they’re saying someone was launching a missile and they didn’t want any planes to get in the way. The CAA issued a statement saying, “We put in place a danger area and issued a NOTAM to alert aircraft operators to the potential hazard. This does not prevent aircraft from flying through the area, operators make their decisions based on the information available.”
It’s worth noting that much of New Zealand’s Oceanic FIR is over international waters, where they have limited control over activities. So, it’s not like they can just tell everyone to stay out of the area. The CAA said, “Much of our Oceanic FIR is over international waters, where we have limited control over activities.” I suppose that’s just the way it is when you’re dealing with international airspace.
CNN has reached out to the US Air Force, the US Antarctic Program, and the Russian State Air Traffic Management Corporation for more information. I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here, sipping my coffee and wondering what other space-related hazards are out there.
In related news, a US citizen was recently flown out of Antarctica in a daring mid-winter rescue mission. Now, that’s a story worth reading about. A Skytraders rescue crew landed in Antarctica in pitch black conditions to evacuate the US national. I mean, can you imagine being stuck in Antarctica and needing to be rescued? Bless their hearts.
The Winter Fly-in period is a busy time for flights between Christchurch and the Antarctic research bases. I guess it’s not all fun and games, though, when you have to worry about potential hazards in space. The CAA said they take these things seriously and will continue to monitor the situation. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’re all reading about it.
In conclusion, it’s been an interesting day in the world of aviation and space news. A US Air Force flight had to turn around due to a warning about “potentially hazardous” space activity, and a US citizen was rescued from Antarctica in a daring mission. I guess you could say it’s been a wild ride. And on that note, I’ll just say, you can’t make this stuff up, folks.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
