SpaceX sues California regulator, claiming its launches were blocked because of Elon Musk’s politics
CNN
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has accused a California regulator of political discrimination after it voted to block the rocket company from conducting more launches on the state’s central coast.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has accused a California regulator of political discrimination after it voted to block the rocket company from conducting more launches on the state’s central coast. SpaceX claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that members of the California Coastal Commission violated Musk’s right to free speech and overstepped the agency’s authority after members cited the billionaire’s conspiratorial comments on his social media platform X in denying the bid. The commission oversees development and environmental protection of the state’s coastline. It’s not clear whether the commission was ever in a position to block the project, and the increased number of Falcon 9 rocket launches was previously recommended by the US Air Force. But the incident marks one of the most tangible examples yet of Musk’s controversial presence on X potentially impacting his other companies, after having contributed to the declining value of his social media platform. The US Space Force, which partners with SpaceX to transport some NASA astronauts, proposed in September that SpaceX could increase its number of annual rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base, a military base on the coast near Santa Barbara, California, from 36 to 50. SpaceX also conducts commercial launches from the base to deliver its Starlink satellites into orbit. But the California Coastal Commission opposed the plan. At an October 10 meeting, members voted 6 to 4 against increasing the launches. At the meeting, commissioners “raised other concerns wholly unrelated to coastal effects,” SpaceX alleged in the complaint, filed in California Central District Court. Members allegedly referenced SpaceX’s employment practices — which have been the subject of lawsuits from the US Justice Department and former employees — as well as the use of Musk’s Starlink in global geopolitical conflicts.
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