Safety violations: US aviation regulator fines SpaceX

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed a fine totaling 633,009 US dollars on SpaceX. This was announced by the FAA on Tuesday. Elon Musk's space company is alleged to have failed to comply with the licensing requirements specified by the FAA for two space missions in 2023, thereby accepting safety risks.

Specifically, it concerns two different violations by SpaceX on June 18, 2023 and July 28, 2023. For June, SpaceX is accused of two violations in connection with the PSN-Satria mission. Two independent rocket launches took place from the Cape Caneveral Space Force Station. The second violation took place during the EchoStar XXIV Jupiter mission in July.

The specific issue was that SpaceX had requested a new launch control room for the two rocket launches on June 18 in May 2023 and the deletion of the T-2 hour request for launch readiness. However, the FAA did not want to approve the changes. However, SpaceX did not comply with the FAA requirements. The rocket launches were monitored from the new control room and T-2 communication was canceled.

On July 28, 2023, SpaceX submitted another change request. This time, a newly built rocket fuel facility was to be used for a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The FAA again rejected changes to the existing license. SpaceX used the facility anyway.

Fines totaling 633,009 dollars

The FAA has therefore imposed a total of three fines: two of 175,000 dollars each for the violation in connection with the two rocket launches in June and one of 293,009 dollars for the violation in July. SpaceX now has 30 days to refute the allegations.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has responded to the claims in his usual combative manner and announced that he will take action against the FAA's fines. Musk wrote on X that he intends to file a lawsuit against the FAA – "for regulatory violations".

(olb)