A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III on a mission from New Zealand to Antarctica turned back this week after being warned of a Russian “planned missile launch,” New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told FLYING.
A spokesperson said Thursday that the agency was alerted to the “potential hazard” by the Russian Air Traffic Management Centre, after which it issued a NOTAM and created a danger area.
“This does not prevent aircraft from flying through the area, operators make their decisions based on the information available,” the spokesperson said. “Our role is to make sure operators know about aviation hazards.”
CNN reported that the CAA in an earlier statement said the threat was related to space activity.
In a statement to FLYING, U.S. Pacific Air Forces Command (PACAF) similarly described the hazard as “space-related” and said the C-17 flew back to Christchurch International Airport (NZCH) “on the advice” of the CAA.
The FAA earlier this year warned pilots to “exercise extreme caution” when flying below the trajectory of commercial spacecraft, which it said have the potential for “catastrophic failures resulting in debris fields.” Twice in 2025, SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded during test missions and disrupted about 240 flights, per the agency. After a mishap, the FAA creates debris response areas that allow it to clear the airspace.
The CAA’s NOTAM covered New Zealand’s Oceanic Flight Information Region (FIR), which spans international waters. Options for diversion are limited in the vast, desolate swath of ocean between New Zealand and Antarctica. The U.S. Antarctic Program’s (USAP) Interagency Air Operations Manual identifies Christchurch as the primary recovery base for the C-17, with Auckland Airport (NZAA) as a backup.
Christchurch is about 2,100 miles away from Antarctica’s McMurdo Station by air, a trip that takes the C-17 roughly five hours. The U.S. base is a key site for American research efforts in the region.
What Was the C-17 Doing?
PACAF said the Globemaster was flying a routine resupply mission scheduled for this time of year.
Since the 1950s, the U.S. military has delivered hundreds of personnel and thousands of pounds of cargo to Antarctica each year in support of Operation Deep Freeze. The mission provides logistical support to the National Science Foundation-led USAP. Operation Deep Freeze is led by Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA) and comprises active duty and reserve Air Force units as well as Coast Guard, Navy, and Army personnel.
According to a 2011 PACAF news release, Operation Deep Freeze begins with the annual winter flight period, or WINFLY, which typically launches in August or September and relies heavily on the C-17 for transport.
Operation Deep Freeze airlift operations include active duty and Reserve C-17s from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state; LC-130 Skibirds, the ski-equipped variant of the C-130 Hercules, from the New York Air National Guard; sealift support from the Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command; and cargo handling from the Navy.
The operations are largely carried out by the 62nd Airlift Wing and its Reserve 446th Airlift Wing, stationed at Lewis-McChord (KTCM), which together form the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. The 304th is a provisional Air Force unit based at Hickam Air Force Base (PHIK) in Hawaii. Christchurch is the staging point for the missions.
According to Fairchild Air Force Base (KSKA), airmen transported 1,076 passengers, 900 tons of cargo, and 120,000 gallons of fuel to Antarctica during the 2024-25 Operation Deep Freeze mission.
A 2012 Air Force news release notes that pilots flying to Antarctica contend with extremely low temperatures, long periods of darkness, and a runway that is literally carved out of the ice at McMurdo Station’s Phoenix Airfield (NZFX).
