Elon Musk has threatened legal action against the Democratic-led state of California after the state commission cited Republican bigwig politics in its decision to deny SpaceX's request to increase its launch frequency. Ta.
The billionaire founder of SpaceX, who made history last weekend with the successful test flight of his Starship Super Heavy booster rocket, has ruled out increasing the Falcon 9 fleet from 36 to 50 aircraft a year, the California Coastal Commission said. He strongly criticized the comments made by members of the group. rocket launch.
In a video of Thursday's meeting, Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to Mr. Musk's nemesis, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom) said that Mr. Musk expressed concern about political posts on social media platform X.
Gretchen Newsom said, “Elon Musk flies across the country spewing political falsehoods, tweeting, and attacking FEMA while claiming he wants to provide free Starlink internet access to hurricane victims.'' “
“The focus appears to be on maximizing profits rather than prioritizing the well-being of SpaceX's employees and the environment.”
In response to Newsom's comments, Commission Chair Caryl Hart said, “Some may argue that he's bringing in politics, but the U.S. government is involved in this, and the Coastal Commission is involved in this.'' “This is to some extent a political issue because of the involvement.”
Musk was furious, calling the commissioners' comments “incredibly inappropriate.”
“What I post on this platform has nothing to do with the California Coastal Commission!” he posted on X on Sunday.
“We will be filing a lawsuit against them on Monday for violating the First Amendment.”
Although Musk supports Donald Trump and attended the former president's rally in Pennsylvania two weeks ago, he remained silent on Monday.
The newspaper asked the committee for comment.
The commission's members are jointly appointed by the governor and legislators and are responsible for protecting the state's 840 miles of coastline.
The launch will take place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The formal request was submitted by the U.S. Space Force.
The commission said its decision was based on the need to reduce the number of sonic booms caused by rockets and reduce the environmental impact on local wildlife.
Mr. Musk's fractious relationship with California state and local officials is well documented.
His company, Tesla, has benefited from state tax exemptions and rebates and has become the most popular electric car maker in the country.
However, Musk has been harshly critical of California's regulatory bureaucracy, high taxes and strict lockdown measures imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, and in 2021 moved his headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas. I decided to move.
Last month, X, known as Twitter when Mr. Musk bought the company for $44 billion in late 2022, permanently closed its San Francisco headquarters amid the city's increasing lawlessness. Moved business to Texas.
Musk also moved SpaceX headquarters from California in response to a recently enacted state law that prohibits school districts from requiring parents to be notified if their child requests to be called by a different pronoun. He announced plans to move to Texas.
