Print A SpaceX rocket launch planned for Tuesday afternoon at Vandenberg Space Force Base was forced to take a rain check after a widespread power outage scrubbed the liftoff, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. The power outage in the Santa Barbara region disrupted telecommunications at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center, creating a “no-go condition for launch,” NASA said in post. The control center manages air traffic over 177,000 square miles of airspace including California’s coast from L.A. to San Luis Obispo, the Ventura area and into the Pacific for about 200 miles, according to the FAA. Advertisement The decision came just 45 seconds before the rocket was set to launch, with a SpaceX official calling, “Hold, hold, hold. ... We have aborted launch today due to airspace concerns.” “The FAA took this action to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” the administration said. The FAA also issued a ground stop at the Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday due to the outage, the airport said in a statement. Flights were diverted and delayed. Power at the airport hadn’t been restored as of about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a spokesperson, who said that the ground stop would be lifted once power was restored to the area. Advertisement