SpaceX dinged by FAA for failing to get mission changes approved
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by STR / NurPhoto, Getty Images
On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a set of fines that total $633,009 over what it says were two instances of SpaceX launching missions with unapproved changes in violation of its license as well as skipping a required step for launch. In response, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk threatened to sue the agency on a claim of “regulatory overreach.”
The FAA says one set of fines totaling $350,000 is related to a June 18th, 2023, launch in which SpaceX used an “unapproved launch control room for the PSN SATRIA mission” and skipped a required “T-2 hour readiness poll.” The company had requested approval for the changes in May, the FAA says, but never got it.
Similarly, the company sought clearance for a new rocket propellant...