Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to criticize the Federal Aviation Administration for penalizing SpaceX while neglecting safety issues at Boeing Co BA.
What Happened: According to Musk’s post, the FAA has been focusing on “petty matters” concerning SpaceX, instead of addressing significant safety concerns at Boeing. He stated that this misallocation of resources endangers human lives.
Musk referenced a letter from SpaceX to Congress, highlighting the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial spaceflight industry. The letter was addressed to key members of the U.S. Congress, including Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
SpaceX’s letter detailed alleged violations cited by the FAA, including the use of an unapproved propellant farm and an updated communications plan. SpaceX denied these allegations, asserting that the FAA’s actions were untimely and unrelated to public safety.
“This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk,” Musk wrote.
The letter also pointed out that the FAA had approved the same propellant farm for other launches, questioning the consistency of the agency’s safety determinations. SpaceX emphasized its commitment to safety and criticized the FAA for its inefficiencies.
Musk’s post concluded with a call for change, stating, “Enough is enough,” and urging Congress to address the FAA’s shortcomings.
Why It Matters: The recent criticism from Musk comes amid ongoing tensions between SpaceX and the FAA. On Thursday, Musk accused the FAA of imposing a $633,009 fine on SpaceX for regulatory violations, suggesting that the agency shows favoritism towards Boeing.
Musk’s comments were in response to a post by Mario Nawfal, who criticized the FAA’s actions against SpaceX. Musk questioned why Boeing was not fined despite NASA deeming their spacecraft unsafe for returning astronauts.
Musk stated, "Amazingly, no Starliner fines for Boeing! The FAA space division is harassing SpaceX about nonsense that doesn’t affect safety while giving a free pass to Boeing even after NASA concluded that their spacecraft was not safe enough to bring back the astronauts."
Additionally, SpaceX continues to prepare for future Starship flights despite delays in FAA launch clearance. On Thursday, SpaceX tested the engines of its Starship launch vehicle for its sixth flight test, even while its fifth flight's timeline remains uncertain.
In a broader context, SpaceX has been making significant strides in its mission goals. On Wednesday, the company launched its 90th mission for the year with a Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the European Commission’s Galileo L13 mission to medium Earth orbit from Florida. Despite these achievements, SpaceX still has over a third of its launch target for the year yet to go.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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