Elon Musk’s Space X, which applied for permission to launch as many as 50 rockets this year, contends the Commission overstepped its authority in denying the plan and claims the decision was biased against Elon Musk.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has opted to take its case to court following the California Coastal Commission’s rejection of its application to ramp up rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
The company, which sought permission to launch up to 50 rockets this year, argued that the Commission had exceeded its authority by denying the plan and asserting that bias against Musk had played a role in the ruling.
The Coastal Commission of California safeguards beaches, coastal ecosystems, and wildlife as protected resources.
Though it supervises the activities of private companies along the coast, it does not have that authority regarding federal operations.
It has officially filed a contested launch request with the US Space Force on behalf of SpaceX, seeking to add an extra 14 Falcon 9 rockets to the already approved 36 this year.
The Commission raised questions over the political controversies surrounding Musk and the safety practices at his companies. In reality, the primary emphasis was on the nature of SpaceX’s partnership with the Space Force.
SpaceX argued that its launches were federal activities because the US Space Force has relied on the company’s services to deploy satellites.
The Space Force argued that since the company is a significant customer of these launches, they cannot be placed under federal jurisdiction and, therefore, not subject to state oversight.
However, the Commission disagreed, arguing that most of SpaceX’s launches served Musk’s satellite Starlink network rather than government missions.
Their review found that this scheme did not meet the prerequisites established for federal activities in the Coastal Zone Management Act or the way the Commission had consistently applied the regulations.
