SpaceX fires back at US government regulators, claiming every statement they made was incorrect

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SpaceX is continuing to battle with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and in a new set of events, the Elon Musk-led company has posted a letter outlining what it claims to be "incorrect statements" made by FAA administrator Michael Whitaker.

On September 17, the FAA issued a proposal for a fine of $633,009 for a set of safety violations it claims SpaceX carried out during rocket launches in 2023. The proposal claimed the regulator didn't approve of two requests from SpaceX for a June 2023 launch of a Falcon rocket. According to the regulator SpaceX proceeded with the launch anyway. This violation amounted to $350,000, and the remainder was for a third violation with the Falcon Heavy launch that occurred in July 2023.

According to the FAA, SpaceX used an unapproved fuel farm as the source of the rocket's propellant, adding $283,009 to the total. SpaceX has now responded to these claims, writing it "rejects any allegations from FAA that SpaceX violated any laws." More specifically, SpaceX said it is false that it has launched without a permit, and all the Falcon missions outlined by the FAA the company received did receive licenses for.

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As for the fuel farm, SpaceX said Whitaker alleged it didn't perform a risk analysis on the relocation of the fuel farm closer to the population. SpaceX claims this risk analysis was carried out, the relocation site approved by the Federal Range Safety authority, and that "FAA was on console and did not stop the countdown."

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