SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated on October 13 that he plans to file a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission this week. The Commission had rejected SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of Falcon 9 rocket launches at the Vandenberg Space Force Base due to Musk’s political activities.
“This is highly inappropriate,” Musk said on the X platform. “The content I post on this platform has nothing to do with a ‘Coastal Commission’ in California!” He further expressed his intention to sue the Commission for violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comments from The Epoch Times on October 15.
On October 10, six members of the Coastal Commission voted against SpaceX’s request to increase launches at Vandenberg, while four members supported it. Vandenberg Base, located north of Santa Barbara, is the world’s second busiest space launch site. Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, appointed by the State Senate Rules Committee, stated on October 10, “Currently, Elon Musk is engaging in activities across the country, tweeting false political information, attacking FEMA, while claiming he volunteers to help hurricane victims with free Starlink network.”
SpaceX’s request made in August was approved by the Commission, allowing for 36 rocket launches. The new proposal aims to increase the launch frequency from 36 to 50 times, which, if approved, would enable SpaceX to launch rockets every five days for the remainder of 2024. These rockets are primarily used to deploy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites providing commercial satellite internet and telecommunication services, as well as for military missions. Officials consider these missions crucial to U.S. national defense.
According to the Coastal Commission, being rejected by them does not necessarily mean the end of SpaceX’s new proposal. Commission spokesperson Joshua Smith told The Epoch Times that while certain activities of federal agencies like the Space Force must be approved by the Commission, these agencies still have the authority to act as they see fit, regardless of the Commission’s decision.
The Coastal Commission staff will retain the right to seek mediation or file a lawsuit against SpaceX. The Commission did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comments.
SpaceX and Air Force officials are scheduled to return to the Coastal Commission in December to request an increase in launch frequency to 100 times in 2025.
SpaceX’s recent increased launch request has bipartisan support, including endorsements from 14 congressional members, 10 California legislators, and the U.S. Air Force.
Before the Coastal Commission denied SpaceX’s request, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members sent a letter supporting SpaceX’s increase in launches at Vandenberg for various reasons like national security, broadband connectivity, and wildfire response.
The letter also mentioned the Commercial Space Integration Strategy of 2024, where the U.S. Department of Defense stated, “The department stands to benefit by incorporating commercial solutions as a core part of the national security space architecture (rather than as a supplement).”
It highlighted cost-saving benefits as well. “Collaboration between the U.S. private sector and government saved billions of dollars in launch services, with commercial suppliers successfully executing missions delivered by the U.S. and its allies.”
Days before the Coastal Commission’s rejection, Musk appeared at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with Trump, the location where Trump faced the first assassination attempt in July.
Musk told the crowd, “I think this election is the most important one of our lifetime. This is not a normal election. The other side wants to strip away your freedom of speech.”
Trump promised to appoint Musk as the head of the Government Waste Commission.
If SpaceX indeed sues the Coastal Commission, it wouldn’t be Musk’s company’s first lawsuit against California.
In September, Musk’s X platform won an appeal, stopping a California law that required social media companies to disclose their content moderation policies. The lawsuit filed in 2023 argued that the California law violated the First Amendment.
However, Musk’s companies do not always win in court. In March of this year, the federal court dismissed another lawsuit filed by X. The lawsuit alleged that the Center for Countering Digital Hate violated X’s terms of service by automatically collecting X’s data to track what CCDH deemed as misinformation. ◇