@fastm3driver: that would be during landing, which requires a lot more horizontal airspace. during takeoff it's kind of all or nothing. you either make it to space or you explode. during landing there are abort paths if things start to go haywire after you enter the atmosphere. and since you're coming in at some ridiculous speed (18000 miles an hour or something equally crazy), your main and alternate approach paths are about a quarter of a world long, hence fiji was grounded.