Hong Kong lawmakers call for contingency plans for drone shows amid solar storm warning
Ionospheric interference, mainly caused by solar storms, forces cancellation of two drone shows for National Day celebrations
Lawmakers have called for contingency plans for major drone shows to avoid upsetting tourists and hurting Hong Kong’s image after atmospheric interference was blamed for forcing the cancellation of two shows marking National Day.
A drone show on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China was cancelled due to “serious interference” with electronic signals, disappointing thousands who had gathered at the West Kowloon Cultural District to watch the spectacle.
The announcement was made an hour after the drone show was scheduled to start. The organiser at first described it as a technical issue, then clarified that the problem was caused by ionospheric interference, a phenomenon mainly caused by a solar storm.
According to a government press release from Tuesday morning, the GPS signal used to control the drones had experienced “serious” interference, disrupting the accuracy of their positioning systems.
“After investigation, it is believed to be related to meteorological factors; human factors were not involved,” a spokesman said.
“All related parties immediately tried their best to recover the situation, in the hopes that the drone show could continue … As the signal showed no improvement, the drone show had to be cancelled.”
