(Credit: SpaceX)
UPDATE: Elon Musk is now threatening to sue over the proposed fine, alleging "improper, politically motivated behavior" from the FAA.
Original Story:
A week after complaining about US government regulations, SpaceX is facing a possible $633,009 fine from the Federal Aviation Administration for allegedly violating its rules.
The FAA announced a proposed civil penalty today, but it doesn’t involve the company’s Starship vehicle, which SpaceX claims is encountering delays due to US regulations. Instead, the FAA wants to fine the company “for allegedly failing to follow its license requirements during two launches in 2023” involving the Falcon 9 rocket.
The violations deal with Falcon 9 launches in June and July 2023. Although both flights were successful, the FAA claims SpaceX skipped certain procedures prior to launch.
“Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including a legal responsibility for the safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses,” said FAA Chief Counsel Marc Nichols in the announcement. “Failure of a company to comply with the safety requirements will result in consequences.”
SpaceX allegedly used an “unapproved launch control room” and “did not conduct the required T-2 hour poll” for the June 2023 Falcon 9 flight for the PSN SATRA Mission, which involved launching an Indonesian communication satellite. In July, SpaceX then allegedly used an unapproved, newly constructed “rocket propellant farm,” or a specialized facility to fuel the EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter mission. SpaceX now has 30 days to respond to the civil penalty.
The proposed fine is raising speculation that the FAA wants to get tough with SpaceX, which is also facing allegations that it violated environmental regulations with Starship rocket launches. Last month, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket also failed to stick its landing, resulting in a fiery explosion. It's unclear what caused the malfunction, but the FAA has cleared the company to continue Falcon 9 flights in the interim.
Despite the penalty only amounting to $633,009, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is accusing the FAA of committing "lawfare," which involves using legal systems to damage or delegitimize an opponent.
"SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach," Musk added in a tweet.
Last week, SpaceX also blasted US government regulations for pushing back the next launch of Starship to possibly late November when the vehicle is ready to fly for its next test. “The narrative that we operate free of, or in defiance of, environmental regulation is demonstrably false,” the company said at the time.
In response, the FAA told PCMag it's conducting a more in-depth review of the next Starship flight due to changes made by SpaceX. "In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed. This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies," the agency said.
In February 2023, the FAA also fined SpaceX $175,000 for failing to submit pre-launch data to the agency for an earlier Starlink mission. SpaceX later paid the fine in October 2023.