SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that his company will file a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to a proposed $633,009 fine related to unapproved launches last year, which Musk calls “lawfare.”
Quartz reports that the FAA has proposed a substantial fine of $633,009 against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, citing the company’s use of unapproved plans during two separate launches in 2023. The aerospace firm, which currently dominates the commercial space launch market, is now facing legal consequences for what the government claims is non-compliance with safety requirements.
According to the FAA, SpaceX submitted a request in May 2023 to revise a plan related to its license to launch rockets from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The revisions included the addition of a new launch control room and the removal of a readiness poll from its procedures. However, in June 2023, SpaceX proceeded to use the unapproved launch control room for a mission and failed to conduct the required poll. As a result, the FAA is proposing a $175,000 fine for each of these violations. Furthermore, the FAA is seeking an additional $283,009 penalty in connection with SpaceX’s unapproved use of a rocket propellant farm in July 2023.
In response to the proposed fines, Elon Musk took to social media platform X, which he owns, to announce that SpaceX will be filing a lawsuit against the FAA for what he termed “regulatory overreach.” Musk characterized the proposed fines as “lawfare,” a term often used to describe the use of legal systems and institutions to delegitimize an opponent.
This development comes on the heels of SpaceX’s recent criticism of the FAA, claiming that regulations were hindering its ability to fly rockets. The company cited fines and inquiries from government agencies as obstacles to its operations. Additionally, SpaceX claimed that the FAA had delayed its fifth test of the Starship megarocket from September to November due to “superfluous environmental analysis.”
Breitbart News previously reported that the FAA had grounded the Falcon 9 rocket after a landing mishap:
In a statement released on Wednesday, the FAA announced that while no public injuries or property damage were reported, they are requiring an investigation into the incident. This marks the second time in less than two months that the FAA has grounded SpaceX rockets, with a similar declaration made following a Falcon 9 upper-stage failure on July 12 during the Starlink 9-3 mission, resulting in the loss of 20 satellites.
Jon Edwards, SpaceX vice president of Falcon Launch Vehicles, expressed sadness over the loss of the booster in a social media post, stating, “Losing a booster is always sad. Each one of them has a unique history and character. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often, due to the robust design and vigilance of the team.” He further added that SpaceX is working diligently to understand the root cause and implement corrective actions as soon as possible, emphasizing that the incident was purely a recovery issue and posed no threat to the primary mission or public safety.
Read more at Quartz here.