A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft changed course during a flight from New Zealand to Antarctica after a warning about a planned Russian space launch. The aircraft was en route from Christchurch to the American McMurdo Station, but after several hours it turned around over the Southern Ocean and returned to New Zealand.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters clarified that the country's authorities had received a Russian notification for crews and sailors about an upcoming missile launch and potential danger to international airspace.

After receiving the data, the local civil aviation authority created a danger zone and issued a NOTAM – a special notice for crews. However, the airspace was not formally closed: the decision to fly in the area of potential danger remained with the operators.

The C-17 spent about 2 hours and 27 minutes in the air. The American crew ultimately chose not to continue the route to Antarctica.

It should be noted that Russian officials or the Ministry of Defense did not make a statement about the missile warning. A NOTAM is issued not only when a missile is launched, but also when a space object re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

For example, a NOTAM was in effect over the Kapustin Yar training ground in the Astrakhan region in May 2026, from where the Oreshnik IRBM was launched.