Elon Musk’s SpaceX sues the California Coastal Commission over its decision to block the space venture company from increasing the number of space rockets it launches from a federal airbase in the state.
The commission had cited Musk’s penchant for spreading misinformation on his social media platform, Twitter/X, as the major reason for rejecting the rocket launch.
However, in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, SpaceX claimed the commission unfairly asserted regulatory powers over the company’s launches based on a disapproval of Musk’s political views and not environmental considerations.
Background
The California coastal commissioner Gretchen Newsom had said at a meeting on 10 October that “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.”
The Commissioners claimed that since commercial space launches were not a Federal Government activity, therefore the SpaceX must submit to the commission’s coastal development permitting authority in charge of overseeing use of land and water within the state’s more than 1,000 miles of coastline.
The subsequent vote by the commissioners ended up 6-4 in favour of rejecting the petition to scale up SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base from 36 to 50.
The Lawsuit
In its lawsuit, SpaceX sues California calling any consideration of Musk’s public statements improper and a violation of his speech rights protected by the US constitution. The suit also accused the commission of “unconstitutional overreach”, intruding on national security and other federal interests as it claimed launches at the base had “no significant effects on coastal resources”.
“Rarely has a government agency made so clear that it was exceeding its authorized mandate to punish a company for the political views and statements of its largest shareholder and CEO,” The suit reads.
Californian Lawmaker Files Public Records Request
Californian Lawmaker, Bill Essayli has filed a public record request demanding that the California Coastal Commission release details of its communication with SpaceX and Elon Musk.
The lawmaker in an interview with Fox news stated that the commission’s decision was politically motivated against Elon Musk in light of his open support for Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
“I was very surprised that they rejected SpaceX’s request. I mean, I think any person who objectively looks at the progress SpaceX is making in the space industry, they’ve been exemplary and have exceeded expectations.
“But then once we heard the comments of the commissioners, it became abundantly clear what the real reason was.
“[It] is very obvious from the comments made by the commissioners that the reason they denied the application was because of Elon Musk’s comments and participation in the political process. They do not like his politics. They made that very clear, and in America we have something called the First Amendment.” Essayli concluded.
What you should know
California is the home state of Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate in the forthcoming US presidential elections. The state has shifted to a solidly Democratic state in recent decades, with the party holding statewide offices and receiving widespread support in national elections.
Elon Musk is very much unpopular in the state due to his unflinching support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, even going as far as saying he would accept a role in Trump’s administration if he wins.
