Elon Musk has criticized the FAA's proposed fines for SpaceX, calling for the FAA to focus on Boeing's Starliner crash instead. Musk has described the FAA's issues with SpaceX as “minor,” yet Boeing left NASA astronauts stranded in space for months with its spacecraft.
Business Insider Reports In a recent X/Twitter post, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk openly criticized the FAA for ignoring the failure of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and proposing to fine the company. The FAA recently announced its intention to fine the company $633,009 for SpaceX violating its launch license during two missions in 2023. The FAA alleges that SpaceX used an unapproved launch control room during a May 2023 mission and failed to conduct required T-2 time polling. Additionally, the FAA accused the company of using an unapproved rocket propellant farm for another launch in July 2023.
Musk took to social media to air his frustration with the FAA's decision. He accused FAA officials of focusing on “minor issues” with SpaceX and ignoring “real safety issues” with Boeing. He specifically noted that NASA had determined that Boeing's Starliner capsule was not safe for astronauts to return, forcing the space agency to turn to SpaceX as an alternative. He argued that instead of fining Boeing for “putting astronauts at risk,” the FAA was targeting SpaceX for what he considered “minor issues.”
SpaceX also formally responded to the FAA's accusations, sending a letter to top congressional leaders on Wednesday. In the letter, the company said it “strongly rejects” the FAA's allegations and called the regulatory actions an “obstruction” that “directly threatens national priorities and undermines U.S. industry's ability to innovate.”
This isn't the first time Musk and SpaceX have clashed with the FAA. The company released a statement on September 10 criticizing the FAA for postponing the next launch of its Starship spacecraft to late November instead of clearing it for mid-September as scheduled. SpaceX argued that the delay was not based on new safety concerns, but rather on “redundant environmental analysis” and “false and misleading reporting” by online critics and special interest groups.
The tension between Musk and the FAA comes at a critical time for both SpaceX and Boeing in the race to advance commercial spaceflight capabilities. While SpaceX has made great strides, such as becoming the first private company to send astronauts into space in 2020, Boeing's Starliner program has faced a number of setbacks. In one recent incident, the Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth without a crew member due to thruster issues and a helium leak, forcing the two astronauts to rely on SpaceX's Crew Dragon for a return flight in February 2025.
Breitbart News recently reported that Musk has vowed to sue the FAA over its recent fines.
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