The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed fining SpaceX for allegedly violating launch licenses last year. In response, CEO Elon Musk is threatening to sue the FAA, accusing the regulator of “incorrect, politically motivated behavior.”
Image source: SpaceX
The proposed fines stem from two incidents that occurred within months of each other last year. Based on FAA data, both cases appear as if Musk simply did not want to wait for FAA approval to use the new launch sites, so SpaceX launched from them without the appropriate license from the regulator.
In the first case, the June launch of an Indonesian communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket involved the control tower at Hangar X. However, SpaceX sought FAA approval to use the facility just a month before the launch, and as of the June 18 launch date, the FAA had not granted such approval. In addition, SpaceX informed the FAA that it intended to skip one of the required procedures in the pre-launch process, and ultimately did not conduct this 2-hour phase despite the fact that it is part of the FAA requirements. For these violations collectively, the company faces a fine of $350,000, the agency reports.
In another incident related to the July launch of the EchoStar XXIV satellite, SpaceX used a similar “don’t wait, act” tactic. This time the problem was a newly built rocket fuel tank at the Space Center. Kennedy. In July, SpaceX filed a request to review the site plan, but the July 28 launch of EchoStar XXIV used an unapproved propellant tank. For this violation, the FAA proposes to fine the company $283,009.
«Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including the legal responsibility for overseeing the safety of companies licensed to conduct commercial space transportation,” FAA General Counsel Marc Nichols said of the proposed fines. “There will be consequences for a company’s failure to comply with safety requirements.”
Musk and the FAA regularly clash over SpaceX’s operations. The huge Starship spacecraft has been on the ground for months, awaiting its next test flight, angering a billionaire. Falcon 9 flights have already been grounded several times this year, both due to Starship errors and its own failures.