(Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
UPDATE 10/6: During an appearance on MSNBC this weekend, Buttigieg suggested the issue was a lack of coordination with the FAA.
"The FAA was not closing down any airspace, but there was an issue with pilots who were helping get Starlink equipment to where it needed to be," he said. "Having the right information, we worked with local authorities, and we were able to take care of it."
Buttigieg added that he wanted to explain how the FAA's temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) work, given the "confusion and even misinformation" about them.
"This is a process that has been in place for decades, and basically what happens is, if you have a disaster area, there's a lot of rescue operations going on. A local airport, or fire department, or the Coast Guard flying helicopters, somebody like that, can request what's called a TFR. It doesn't shut down the airspace, but it increases the level of coordination that goes on because you want to make sure that that airspace is safe and that you prevent the risk of collisions. And so when you hear that term, that's what's going on."
Having Good Samaritans with pilots licenses pitch in is a "great thing," he added, "it's just important that they coordinate and make sure that it's safe."
Original Story:
The ongoing effort to ship Starlink dishes to hurricane-ravaged areas in the US has also sparked accusations from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that the federal government, including FEMA, is blocking the deliveries. It prompted a response from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who reportedly spoke with Musk today to refute some of the accusations.
The back-and-forth started earlier today when Musk posted a text exchange he had with an unnamed SpaceX engineer working to deliver Starlink dishes to areas of North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
"The big issue is FEMA is actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them away to state they are their own,” the engineer apparently told Musk. “It’s very real and scary how much they have taken control to stop people helping.”
In response, Musk tweeted: “The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!!”
Musk then retweeted a screenshot from the SpaceX engineer, who claimed that federal agencies were shutting down the surrounding air space to “regulate” private helicopters carrying the Starlink dish deliveries. “We are pushing back with trump team as well to help us, but not looking good,” the engineer wrote.
In response, Secretary Buttigieg tweeted back to deny that the federal government is preventing Starlink deliveries. “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call,” Buttigieg wrote.
Musk initially tweeted in reply: “There are hundreds of reports of FEMA/FAA blocking flights. This literally just happened.” But the SpaceX CEO is now indicating that he spoke with Buttigieg. "Thanks for the call. Hopefully, we can resolve this soon,” Musk said this afternoon.
Later on Friday, Musk thanked Buttigieg for "expediting approval for support flights," adding "just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball."
"Glad we could address —thanks for engaging," Buttigieg responded.
Musk's tweet about FEMA "failing to help," however, is still pinned to the top of his X account. [Update: It's been replaced with a tweet about about free speech and the Second Amendment.]
The exchange underscores how Musk has used the Starlink rescue effort to criticize US regulators. On Wednesday, he accused the FCC of putting lives in danger by rejecting $886 million in subsidies to Starlink. The FCC has pushed back on Musk's accusations and questioned why SpaceX can't deploy Starlink dishes without using taxpayer funds.
He's also been fighting with the FAA over SpaceX launches.
FEMA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the agency created a “rumor response” page to fight misinformation. It noted: “Rumors about FEMA turning away donations, stopping trucks or vehicles with donations, confiscating and seizing supplies often spread after a disaster. These are all false.”