Elon Musk’s recent political tweets are impacting SpaceX’s ability to launch more rockets from California’s central coast. The California Coastal Commission rejected a proposal from the Air Force that would have allowed SpaceX to launch up to 50 rockets a year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
One reason behind the rejection was Musk’s behavior online. In the meeting discussing the Air Force’s proposal, Commissioner Gretchen Newsom expressed serious concerns over Musk’s social media posts.
“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,” Newsom said.
While the commissioner did not hold back criticism of Musk, the commission cited other reasons to limit SpaceX launches from California’s coast, primarily categorizing SpaceX launches as military ones. This classification allows the company to bypass rules for environmental permits.
The clash between the Coastal Commission and the Space Force is not new. The dispute largely centers on the commission wanting more action from the agency to protect beaches and nearby wildlife. Last year, the Department of Defense requested to increase SpaceX’s launches from six to 36 per year. The commission was resistant but ultimately approved the launches with a list of recommendations for environmental safety.
Ahead of this week’s meeting, during which the Air Force sought to increase the number of launches to 50, the Air Force stated it would meet the commission’s conditions, which include reducing sonic booms and increasing wildlife monitoring. However, for the commission, that was not enough. It voted 6 to 4 to deny the request, with several members expressing concerns over Musk’s recent involvement in the presidential race.
