SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been at odds with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over licensing commercial rocket launches. Musk has taken to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize the FAA and accuse the agency of hindering Starship testing. In a recent post on September 17, Musk even threatened to sue the agency for what he called 'regulatory overreach.'
Furthermore, Musk, who was appointed by incoming President Donald Trump to lead a new 'Department of Government Efficiency,' suggested on September 25 that FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker should resign. Musk has gone as far as alleging that the FAA's actions are politically motivated to penalize SpaceX.
These claims by Musk came after the FAA proposed civil penalties of $633,009 against SpaceX for allegedly violating launch license requirements during Falcon 9 rocket flights. SpaceX has refuted these allegations, stating that they did not compromise public safety and that they had informed the FAA in advance of operational changes, which the agency did not promptly address.
Despite the disputes, the FAA eventually granted SpaceX the license needed to proceed with Starship's fifth uncrewed test launch in October. This license also covered the recent test flight, marking the first time SpaceX did not have to seek FAA approval for launch license modifications since the testing campaign began.
