FAA restricts commercial rocket launches indefinitely due to air traffic risks from government shutdown

In the dark of night, a rocket blasts fire from its engines, sending plumes of smoke jetting out as it climbs the launch tower out of frame. A SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket launches from LC-39A, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Floriday, carrying members of SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, April 27, 2022.

Beginning next week, daytime rocket launches are all officially scrubbed thanks to the government shutdown.

As the record-long shutdown of the U.S. federal government stretches into its second month, commercial air travelers are beginning to feel the impacts at the nation's airports. To help ease the strain, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency order to limit who can access navigable airspace, which includes restricted hours on commercial rocket launches.