Identifying what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk can’t live without is pretty easy. All you need to do is go over to X, the social media platform he owns formerly known as Twitter. However, the answer lies not in the content of his posts, but rather the fact that he posts—constantly.
Musk is addicted to the platform, frequently using it to say whatever is on his mind, fight with his enemies, or react to information (even if it’s not true). His penchant for using the platform all the time has gotten him into trouble in the past. Perhaps one of the most famous examples is when he was forced to pay $20 million for a 2018 tweet where he said he had the “funding secured” to take Tesla private. It wasn’t true.
Now, Musk’s posts are in the spotlight once more. Regulators have cited them as a reason to decline a plan that would let SpaceX launch more rockets out of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The California Coastal Commission. In a meeting last week, the California Coastal Commission declined to increase the number of rockets SpaceX could launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base from 36 to up to 50 per year. The commission is an agency that works to protect coastal ecosystems along the state’s 1,100-mile coastline.
Notably, the request was made by military officials with the Air Force and Space Force, not SpaceX. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the military argues that all SpaceX launches should be considered “military activity” given that they benefit military objectives. SpaceX is one of the top contractors at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
But considering SpaceX launches as military activity, even if the launch doesn’t carry military payloads, would exempt it from obtaining a permit from the California Coastal Commission in the future, something many of the commissioners didn’t like. SpaceX launches carry private Starlink equipment on 87% of their flights, the Times pointed out.
“I appreciate that there is an element of the federal government here, but this is primarily about private company activities,” Caryl Hart, the commission chair, said.
A Starlink launch in 2022.
Elon’s posts. Besides expressing doubts that SpaceX activity was indeed military activity, the commissioners also took issue with Musk’s posts on X. In particular, they highlighted Musk’s recent claim that FEMA was using funds destined for the recovery from Hurricane Helene to fund illegal immigrants, which is false.
“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” commissioner Gretchen Newsom said at the meeting, according to Politico.
They also pointed out Musk’s support for former President Donald Trump, his tendency to spread conspiracy theories, and derogatory comments he's made about the transgender community.
“We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” Caryl Hart, the chair of the commission, said.
A rocky road. This isn’t the first time military officials and the commission have clashed over SpaceX. Back in April, the commission rejected a request from the military to increase the amount of SpaceX launches from 6 to 36, again disputing the argument that the company’s launches constituted “military activity.”
The commission eventually agreed to 36 launches per year in September after the military promised to decrease sonic booms from the launch and conduct increased wildlife monitoring, Politico reported.
Musk’s response. As expected, Musk responded to the news about the commission’s decision in a post on X on Sunday.
“Incredibly inappropriate. What I post on this platform has nothing to do with a ‘coastal commission’ in California!” Musk said. “Filing suit against them on Monday for violating the First Amendment.”
At the time of publication, it wasn’t clear whether Musk or SpaceX had filed a suit.
Given the current situation, the move probably won’t persuade the commission to vote in SpaceX’s favor, though military officials and government officials are likely to let it slide. Republicans and Democrats wrote to the commission in support of the increased launches, stating that “[t]he integration of the U.S. Department of Defense with commercial space is vital for national security.”
In addition, military officials are planning on asking the commission to allow SpaceX up to 100 launches early next year.
Images | Glenn Beltz
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