Elon Musk’s SpaceX is challenging the fines imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA alleged that SpaceX “violated its regulations and proposed a $633,009 penalty” for the alleged violations,” according to a letter sent by SpaceX to members of Congress.
“It is SpaceX’s understanding that it is highly irregular, and perhaps unprecedented, for a Chief Counsel to be quoted on an enforcement matter,” the letter adds. “SpaceX forcefully rejects the FAA’s assertion that it violated any regulations.”
The FAA claims that SpaceX “utilized a propellant farm at SpaceX’s launch site that FAA had not yet approved,” “used an updated Communications Plan that the FAA had not yet approved,” and “did not conduct a launch poll two hours prior to a launch.”
SpaceX asserted that it is “committed to safety in all operations. With respect to these matters, it is notable that in each instance, SpaceX provided AST [the Office of Commercial Space Transportation] with sufficient notice of these relatively minor license updates, which had no bearing on public safety.”
“For well over a year now, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial space industry and the needs of U.S. Government agencies that rely on commercial space launch capability for national security and national priorities,” the letter concluded.
The violations occurred during two 2023 launches, the FAA said.
FAA Chief Counsel Marc Nichols said in a statement, “Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including a legal responsibility for the safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses. Failure of a company to comply with the safety requirements will result in consequences.”
Musk wrote on X in response to the FAA’s release that “SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach.”
