The US Coast Guard says it is investigating a Royal Caribbean cruise ship after a SpaceX rocket launch was aborted seconds before takeoff, report says
- Coast Guard is investigating a Royal Caribbean ship after SpaceX launch aborted, per Florida Today.
- SpaceX called off a mission Sunday after a cruise liner sailed into the launch hazard area.
The US Coast Guard has opened an investigation after a Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailed too close to a SpaceX rocket launch Sunday, forcing the liftoff to be aborted, Florida Today reported.
An operator called off the mission about 30 seconds before SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to take off Sunday evening because a cruise liner was approaching the launch site's no-go zone.
"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."
Port Canaveral CEO John Murray told Insider that it was an "isolated incident that happened outside of our control."
Murray confirmed that the Coast Guard was conducting a full investigation into the situation.
Royal Caribbean didn't respond to Insider's requests for comment made on Monday and Tuesday.
The Coast Guard didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of US operating hours.
Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas cruise liner is 1,188 feet long, 215.5 feet wide, and can host more than 6,600 guests across 18 decks, according to the company website.
Sunday's attempt was the fourth consecutive day that SpaceX had tried to launch the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 mission, which involves sending an observation satellite for the Italian Space Agency into space.
SpaceX finally sent the rocket into orbit on Monday, making it the company's fourth launch in one month.
The launch left Elon Musk's firm on track to achieving its reported goal of launching 52 missions in 2022, according to CNBC, or four rockets on average every month.