diff --git a/src/layers/launches/controls.js b/src/layers/launches/controls.js
index d8b4c6d6a..9adc88922 100644
--- a/src/layers/launches/controls.js
+++ b/src/layers/launches/controls.js
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ export function createControls({ state: layerState, services, parts, source }) {
     releaseCameraOwnership() {
       // Navigation takes the camera; a failed entry must not restore the old view.
       layerState._entryCameraView = null;
+      layerState._cameraReleased = true;
       parts.panel.clearMissionRosterHover();
       parts.replay.stopMissionReplay();
       parts.selection.stopMissionZoomAnchor();
-      layerState._cameraReleased = true;
     },
 
     /**
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ export function createControls({ state: layerState, services, parts, source }) {
         orbitMatches: layerState._orbitMatches,
         lastUpdate: layerState._lastUpdate,
         error: layerState._lastError,
+        errorAt: layerState._lastErrorAt,
         stale: layerState._stale,
       };
     },
diff --git a/src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs b/src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs
index 52adcb792..4330cf0d8 100644
--- a/src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs
+++ b/src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import http from 'node:http';
 import * as Cesium from 'cesium';
 import { DataLayerManager } from '../../data/manager.js';
 import { ContextControls } from '../../ui/contextControls.js';
+import { spaceMissionsIndexFailure } from '../../ui/contextActions.js';
 import { createLaunchSource } from './source.js';
 import { createState } from './state.js';
 import { createModel } from './model.js';
@@ -454,7 +455,6 @@ test('a refresh failure after a loaded index keeps the mode and its records', as
   await f.settle();
   assert.deepEqual(f.view(), framed);
 });
-// Append to src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs (uses its fixture()).
 test('exiting during a successful entry flight cancels the mission-owned flight', async (t) => {
   const f = await fixture(t);
   f.upstream.status = 200;
@@ -473,10 +473,7 @@ test('exiting during a successful entry flight cancels the mission-owned flight'
     'leaving Space Missions stops the flight it started (main cancels it)',
   );
 });
-// Append to src/layers/launches/failedEntry.test.mjs (uses its fixture()).
-// Encodes the "surface the reason where the user acted" fix: the roster that
-// carries 30-DAY MISSION INDEX UNAVAILABLE is hidden by the rollback, so the
-// lasting feedback (the toast) has to name the cause.
+// The rollback hides the roster, so the toast has to name the cause.
 test('a failed first load tells the user the mission index is unavailable', async (t) => {
   const f = await fixture(t);
   await f.manager.setEnabled('earthquakes', true, { origin: 'user' });
@@ -491,3 +488,29 @@ test('a failed first load tells the user the mission index is unavailable', asyn
     `visible feedback names the failure, got ${JSON.stringify(f.toasts)}`,
   );
 });
+
+test('navigation taking the camera keeps a mission flight it asked to preserve', async (t) => {
+  const f = await fixture(t);
+  f.upstream.status = 200;
+  await f.manager.setEnabled('rocket-launches', true, { origin: 'user' });
+  await f.settle();
+  const flight = f.camera.flight;
+  assert.ok(flight, 'the entry flight is in progress');
+  f.missions.releaseCameraOwnership();
+  assert.equal(f.camera.flight, flight, 'navigation decides about the flight');
+  // After exit an inactive layer never cancels another owner's flight.
+  await f.manager.setEnabled('rocket-launches', false, { origin: 'user' });
+  await f.settle();
+  f.camera.flyTo({ destination: new Cesium.Cartesian3(1, 1, 1) });
+  const other = f.camera.flight;
+  f.missions.releaseCameraOwnership();
+  assert.equal(f.camera.flight, other);
+});
+
+test("an earlier attempt's index error is not blamed for a later failure", async (t) => {
+  const f = await fixture(t);
+  await f.manager.setEnabled('rocket-launches', true, { origin: 'user' });
+  await f.settle();
+  assert.match(spaceMissionsIndexFailure(f.manager), /mission index/);
+  assert.equal(spaceMissionsIndexFailure(f.manager, Date.now() + 1), null);
+});
diff --git a/src/layers/launches/ingestion.js b/src/layers/launches/ingestion.js
index 9994acb86..be6190815 100644
--- a/src/layers/launches/ingestion.js
+++ b/src/layers/launches/ingestion.js
@@ -228,6 +228,7 @@ export function createIngestion({
     } catch (error) {
       if (layerState._enabled && token === layerState._lifecycleToken) {
         layerState._lastError = error.message;
+        layerState._lastErrorAt = Date.now();
         console.warn('[Data:RocketLaunches] Fetch error:', error);
         // No index yet: fail the enable so Context rolls back.
         // After a loaded index, a failed refresh keeps its records.
diff --git a/src/layers/launches/lifecycle.js b/src/layers/launches/lifecycle.js
index 6d87b47d8..13150e805 100644
--- a/src/layers/launches/lifecycle.js
+++ b/src/layers/launches/lifecycle.js
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ export function createLifecycle({
       parts.ingestion.clearPostTleRetry();
       parts.panel.clearMissionRosterHover();
       parts.replay.stopMissionReplay();
+      layerState._cameraReleased = true;
       parts.selection.stopMissionZoomAnchor();
       if (layerState._dataSource) layerState._dataSource.show = false;
       parts.orbitRendering.syncMissionOrbitPrimitiveVisibility();
@@ -310,6 +311,7 @@ export function createLifecycle({
       await parts.ingestion.restoreSatelliteDependency();
       parts.panel.clearMissionRosterHover();
       parts.replay.stopMissionReplay();
+      layerState._cameraReleased = true;
       parts.selection.stopMissionZoomAnchor();
       parts.ingestion.clearPostTleRetry();
       if (layerState._clickHandler) layerState._clickHandler.destroy();
diff --git a/src/layers/launches/state.js b/src/layers/launches/state.js
index beb8d1bf7..fd2ae7176 100644
--- a/src/layers/launches/state.js
+++ b/src/layers/launches/state.js
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ export function createState({ services }) {
 
   state._lastError = null;
 
+  state._lastErrorAt = null;
+
   state._entryCameraView = null;
 
   state._entryLandedView = null;
diff --git a/src/ui/contextActions.js b/src/ui/contextActions.js
index 702130073..eeb22fefe 100644
--- a/src/ui/contextActions.js
+++ b/src/ui/contextActions.js
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@ import {
   contextModeWord,
 } from '../contextModePolicy.js';
 
-/** Why a Space Missions entry failed, when its mission index never loaded. */
-export function spaceMissionsIndexFailure(dataManager) {
+/** Why a Space Missions entry failed: its mission index never loaded, and
+ * the error is no older than `since` (an earlier attempt's is not the cause). */
+export function spaceMissionsIndexFailure(dataManager, since = 0) {
   const stats = dataManager?.layers
     ?.get('rocket-launches')
     ?.module?.getStats?.();
-  return stats?.error && stats.lastUpdate == null
+  return stats?.error && stats.lastUpdate == null && stats.errorAt >= since
     ? t(
         'Space Missions unavailable: the mission index could not load. Try again later.',
       )
diff --git a/src/ui/contextBindings.js b/src/ui/contextBindings.js
index c5e4fc52e..8c6b8760e 100644
--- a/src/ui/contextBindings.js
+++ b/src/ui/contextBindings.js
@@ -60,11 +60,12 @@ export function _initGlobalContextPanel() {
     const nextMode =
       this._contextMode === 'space-missions' ? null : 'space-missions';
     this._claimContextVisualAuthority();
+    const startedAt = Date.now();
     void this._runUserFacingContextAction(
       (notificationToken) =>
         this._selectContextMode(nextMode, { notificationToken }),
       () =>
-        (nextMode && spaceMissionsIndexFailure(this._dataManager)) ||
+        (nextMode && spaceMissionsIndexFailure(this._dataManager, startedAt)) ||
         t(
           'Space Missions could not complete the requested transition; try again',
         ),