State officers have rejected SpaceX’s plans to launch additional rockets in California, after Elon Musk’s current “aggressive” insertion into the US presidential race.
Questions have been raised as as to if actions by the area exploration firm, owned by Musk, must be thought of federal or non-public exercise.
The plan to extend the variety of SpaceX rocket launches to as much as 50 a 12 months was rejected by the California Coastal Fee on Thursday, with some officers citing Musk’s extremely political posts on his social media platform X.
“We’re coping with an organization, the pinnacle of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” fee Chair Caryl Hart mentioned.
“This firm (SpaceX) is owned by the richest particular person on the earth with direct management of what may very well be essentially the most expansive communications system on the planet,” Commissioner Mike Wilson mentioned. “Simply final week that particular person was speaking about political retribution.”
In current weeks, Musk’s involvement in Donald Trump’s presidential marketing campaign has turn into extra stark. He has been overtly in favor of the previous president on his “free speech” platform X, and appeared at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5 the place he addressed Trump supporters.
He has additionally jumped on Trump bandwagon of attacking the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) over its response to devastation attributable to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida – peddling conspiracies that federal funds are getting used on unlawful immigrants as a substitute of flood victims.
“Elon Musk is hopping concerning the nation, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA whereas claiming his want to assist hurricane victims with free Starlink entry to the web,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom mentioned.
Members of the fee additionally lauded army officers for his or her work to achieve an settlement about additional launches, following assurances that steps could be taken to mitigate injury to native wildlife, the Los Angeles Instances reported.
Nonetheless they added their foremost concern is that it must be SpaceX representatives who seem earlier than the fee to acquire permits for the corporate’s rising rocket program, not army officers.
“It’s important that SpaceX apply for a [Coastal Development Permit],” Hart mentioned. “We’re going to hit a wall right here.”
The Unbiased has contacted SpaceX for touch upon the choice by the California Coastal Fee.