SpaceX on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the California commission, accusing the commission of political bias after the commission denied the aerospace company's request to allow an increase in rocket launches from a California air base. filed a lawsuit against.
a lawsuit was filed It filed a lawsuit in federal court against the California Coastal Commission, the state agency tasked with planning and regulating the state's coastal land and water use.
This follows a recent committee meeting attended by a majority of the panel.request denied SpaceX plans to launch up to 50 Falcon 9 rockets a year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara. This would be an increase from the 36 launches per year currently allowed at U.S. Air Force bases.
space x first launched Falcon 9 rocket launches at Vandenberg in 2013
SpaceX asked the court to prohibit the commission from regulating SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launches.
Lawyers for SpaceX say it exceeds its authority to punish a company for the political views or comments of its leader and biggest stakeholder, CEO Elon Musk. insisted.
The aerospace company said the commission's “overreach” unfairly targets constitutionally protected speech, beliefs and practices unrelated to the launch itself.
Musk has moved increasingly into right-wing politics in recent months, emerging as a vocal defender of former President Trump. Campaign finance records filed Tuesday showed that Mr. Musk personally gave at least $75 million to America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC that the billionaire helped found.
The tech mogul appeared on the campaign trail with President Trump earlier this month and is planning what's next. Further appearances in Pennsylvania in connection with America PAC.
His Republican politics and support for Trump can now be seen almost daily on his social platform X, which was known as Twitter until it was acquired in 2022.
The complaint pointed to comments at last week's hearing The committee members focused on Musk's political involvement during this election.
According to the complaint, Secretary Caryl Hart noted that SpaceX is led by someone who “actively participated in the presidential campaign and made his views clear.”
Secretary Gretchen Newsom added, “Right now, Elon Musk is flying around the country spewing political falsehoods, tweeting, and attacking FEMA while claiming he wants to help hurricane victims with free access to Starlink.'' “I have,” he added.
The commissioners argued that SpaceX's space launch activities are conducted by a private entity rather than a federal program, which means the company is subject to the commission's regulations.
However, because SpaceX is a U.S. government contractor that provides a series of launches for the Department of Defense and sells satellite services to other federal agencies, some military officials believe that SpaceX's launches are They argue that it should be considered an activity of a government agency. wall street journal Reported.
Musk slammed the commissioner's decision. Post to Xcalled for his resignation.
“The Coastal Commission has one job: to protect California's coast. It's illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly incorrectly) consider to be my politics,” he said. I wrote it.
“For example, I've probably done more to promote sustainable energy and help the environment than anyone ever has, but that's not exactly a 'far-right' position. But here they are shamelessly breaking the law! They should immediately resign and take appropriate legal responsibility for their actions. ”
The commission declined to comment on the lawsuit.
