IBUKI (OFF):“Because of the Angel's radio disturbance,
the target has been lost.”
Mr. Tines: Presumably,(re-)entry ionization causing the expected blackout.
UrsusArctos: Background dialogue in Cut 195 gives an estimate for impact at 120 minutes, and that is a while after this scene, but reentry for the Shuttle and Soyuz usually takes place in a matter of minutes. I guess Sahaquiel itself really is generating the radio interference. What's funny is that Sahaquiel is one of the largest Angels and somewhere close to a kilometer in width. Optical telescopes on the ground could easily spot something that huge in Low Earth Orbit.
