Hyperdrive
The Billionaire Space Race Is Making Life Difficult for Airlines
More launches mean more closed airspace, and more delays.
This article is for subscribers only.
On Feb. 6, Elon Muskās SpaceX launched its largest rocket into the blue Florida sky. Onboard was āStarman,ā a dummy strapped into the billionaireās cherry red Tesla roadster. Minutes later, fans cheered as Musk topped himself by nailing a simultaneous landing of the Falcon Heavyās boosters. It was arguably a turning point for the commercial space age.
Airlines were somewhat less thrilled. On that day, 563 flights were delayed and 62 extra miles added to flights in the southeast region of the U.S., according to Federal Aviation Administration data released Tuesday by the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA.