Elon Musk says he will take legal action after California officials cited his politics when rejecting SpaceX launches
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday denied a request from the US Space Force for more-frequent SpaceX launches.
Elon Musk threatened to take legal action following reports that a California state commission cited his politics in a decision.
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected a request for more-frequent SpaceX launches.
The request was filed by the US Space Force, seeking more launches from the state’s Central Coast. It was rejected by six votes to four.
Space Force had asked the commission to allow SpaceX to carry out 50 launches a year of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base, up from 36.
In a video of the meeting viewed by B-17, the commissioner Gretchen Newsom expressed concerns over Musk’s political posts and working conditions at SpaceX.
“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” she said before the vote on Thursday.
“It appears that rather than prioritizing the welfare of SpaceX employees and the environment, the focus has been on profit maximization,” she added.
In response to Newsom’s statement, the commission chair, Caryl Hart, said: “You could argue that it’s bringing in politics, but this is a political matter to some extent because it involves the US government, it involves the Coastal Commission.”
Hart said that while she greatly appreciated the Space Force’s work, they were “dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.”
Musk responded to a Politico story about the commissioners’ comments, writing on X alongside a screenshot of the story: “Incredibly inappropriate. What I post on this platform has nothing to do with a ‘coastal commission’ in California!”
“Filing suit against them on Monday for violating the First Amendment,” he wrote, adding: “Tuesday, since court is closed on Monday.”
The commission, which aims to protect California’s coast and ocean, also disagreed with SpaceX and the military characterizing the launches as federal agency activities, which would exempt the company from obtaining a permit.
Commissioners argued that SpaceX was primarily a private company and should, therefore, obtain a permit itself.
“It is essential that SpaceX apply for a CDP,” Hart said, referring to a Coastal Development Permit, adding: “There is no other way forward in my opinion.”
Some commissioners took the opportunity to commend the military’s recent efforts in working with staff on environmental issues. The commission also noted concerns about impacts on the local environment caused by the rockets’ sonic booms.
Ravi Chaudhary, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, told the hearing that the Space Force remained committed to protecting the coastline and local coastal species.
B-17 contacted both the California Coastal Commission and SpaceX for comment.
