Science: SpaceX has taken its dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Capitol Hill. On Tuesday (Sept. 17), the FAA announced plans to fine SpaceX $630,000 for regulatory violations over two launches last year. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk responded to the news the same day, announcing on X (formerly Twitter) that the company planned to sue the FAA “for violating the law.” The company has now sent a letter to Congress protesting the proposed fines and calling on officials to move too slowly.
The two missions cited by the FAA are the Indonesian communications satellite PSN Satria, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on June 18, 2023, and another communications satellite, launched on a Falcon Heavy on July 28, 2023. It was an aircraft “EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter 3”. Both launches that same year took place on the Space Coast in Florida. PSN SATRIA was operated from the SpaceX pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter 3 was operated from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) next door. The FAA alleged that SpaceX violated two rules related to the launch of PSN SATRIA. The company is accused of using a new launch control room and conducting a readiness survey (usually done two hours before launch) without waiting for the changes to be approved. The FAA said the company submitted an application to make the changes, but the program was not approved until after the launch.
