1st October 2024 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong’s much-anticipated drone show for the 75th National Day celebration at Victoria Harbour was abruptly cancelled minutes before its scheduled start time yesterday, due to adverse atmospheric conditions known as “ionospheric scintillation.” In contrast, similar events in Shenzhen were merely delayed, showing a divergence in how neighbouring cities managed the same celestial challenge.
Scheduled to begin at 8.55pm and last for five minutes as a prelude to the annual fireworks, the Hong Kong drone show was expected to be a highlight of the evening. However, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced the cancellation just three minutes before the event was due to start, citing ionospheric scintillation that interfered with the drones’ satellite navigation systems.
Sky Yeung, Chairman of the DNT FPV Drone Association Hong Kong, explained that such scintillation is caused by solar activity affecting the earth’s ionosphere, leading to intermittent signal disruptions. This can cause drones, relying on precise satellite positioning to form intricate aerial patterns, to behave unpredictably, posing risks of collision or falling.
“The risk of thousands of drones performing simultaneously and encountering a signal interruption is considerable. Ensuring public safety, we can’t proceed under these conditions,” said Yeung.
Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, the drone shows scheduled for the same evening at 8pm faced similar disruptions. The shows were postponed to 9 PM, after which the atmospheric conditions had improved sufficiently to proceed, proving a successful management of the situation through timely delay rather than outright cancellation.
Hong Kong’s cancellation marks a massive disappointment for both residents and tourists, who had gathered along the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade to witness the spectacle. The previous night’s drone performance in West Kowloon Cultural District was also cancelled due to similar issues, highlighting a potential need for better predictive and responsive planning strategies in the face of solar-induced atmospheric disturbances.
Hong Kong’s Observatory confirmed that ionospheric scintillation is one of several phenomena caused by solar storms that can disrupt satellite signals and radio communications. This solar activity is monitored continuously, suggesting that such disruptions could be anticipated more accurately in the future.
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