SpaceX ‘forcefully’ refutes FAA allegations of launch violations

SpaceX lashed out at the Federal Aviation Administration, denying reports of federal offenses.

In a letter to Congress released Thursday, SpaceX “forcefully” rejected allegations brought by the FAA this week that the company violated rocket launch regulations twice in 2023.

“SpaceX is absolutely committed to safety in all operations,” the letter reads. “For nearly two years, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial spaceflight industry. It is clear that the agency lacks the resources to timely review licensing materials, but also focuses its limited resources on areas unrelated to public safety.”

In the letter, SpaceX also implied political motivations for the $633,000 fine imposed on the company by the FAA.

“It is also notable that, in announcing these penalties, FAA’s politically appointed chief counsel was quoted on the FAA’s announcement on the matter. It is SpaceX’s understanding that this is highly irregular, and perhaps unprecedented, for a chief counsel to be quoted on an enforcement matter,” the letter continues.

SpaceX’s formal rejection of the FAA’s allegations comes one day after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said his company would sue the regulator over the claims, which he called “more lawfare.”

The FAA accused SpaceX of violating federal launch regulations on Tuesday. According to the regulator, SpaceX used fuel secured at an unapproved propellant farm, used an unapproved communications plan and didn’t conduct a launch poll two hours before launch. The alleged offenses occurred during two SpaceX rocket launches in 2023.