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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could fine SpaceX a total of $633,009 in civil penalties for launch safety violations.
In May 2023, SpaceX submitted a request to revise its communications plan linked to its license to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The proposed revisions included removal of the T-2 hour readiness poll from procedures, and the addition of a new launch control room at Hangar X.
Rather than waiting for approval, the company reportedly used the launch control room on June 18th for the PSN SATRIA mission and also failed to conduct the T-2 hour poll.
The FAA has proposed charging SpaceX $175,000 for each alleged violation, or a total of $350,000.
In July of the same year, SpaceX again submitted a request to revise its explosive site plan related to its license to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The proposed revision was for a newly constructed rocket propellant farm.
Again, on July 28th, SpaceX is said to have used the rocket propeller farm without prior approval for its EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter mission.
The FAA has proposed fining the company $283,009 in civil penalties.
SpaceX has 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving enforcement letters. Neither the company nor founder Elon Musk has responded to the news on their respective X accounts.
SpaceX’s South Texas Launch Facility Has Faced Multiple Safety Concerns
This is far from the first time SpaceX has faced concerns over launchpad safety. Its Boca Chica site in South Texas, where safety tests take place, has come under scrutiny more than once following failed launches.
On April 20th, 2023, the first uncrewed test flight of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded minutes after launch from Boca Chica, climbing to just 25 miles before it lost altitude, with debris landing in the nearby water.
In October 2023, the FAA carried out a safety review of the launchpad following the failure. In September, it announced 63 corrective actions that the company had to take before attempting another launch.
A later environmental review looked into the impact that the launch had on endangered species living in the area, as well as SpaceX’s request to dump up to 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater into South Bay, a protected coastal reserve surrounding the launch site.
Another failed launch came in November of 2023 when the second Starship test failed in space shortly after liftoff as the Super Heavy first stage booster exploded shortly after detaching.
On July 11th, a Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage failed during a Starlink satellite launch. Twenty Starlink satellites that were launched prematurely burned up in the atmosphere after falling back to Earth. It’s thought that a liquid oxygen leak was responsible for the failure.
Further environmental investigations took place at Boca Chica in June 2024 when conservation groups, a team from SpaceX, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service assessed the impact of the most recent Starship launch on the migratory bird habitat that surrounds the launch pad site.
Investigations discovered a small fire had ignited charring nearby grasslands, chunks of insulation and sheet metal covered the nearby ground, and the nine nests recorded before the launch had all been destroyed.
Most recently, on August 28th, the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashed on a landing barge after successfully deploying Starlink satellites.
SpaceX operations have caused explosions, fires, leaks, or other issues at Boca Chica on at least 19 occasions since 2019, causing environmental damage and giving rise to safety concerns.
