‘Shamelessly Breaking The Law!’: Elon Musk Blasts California Officials Denying SpaceX Launches

Elon Musk is threatening legal action after California officials cited his politics in their decision to reject more SpaceX rocket launches.

On Thursday, the California Coastal Commission rejected the U.S. Space Force’s request for more frequent SpaceX rocket launches. The Space Force had asked that SpaceX be allowed to do 50 launches a year of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base, up from 36 launches.

The commission denied the request in a six-to-four vote.

During a hearing on the issue, commissioners griped about Musk’s political views, as well as his campaign stop with former President Donald Trump earlier this month.

Caryl Hart, the commission chair, sparked accusations of illegal regulatory lawfare when she distinguished between SpaceX and other companies.

“It’s not the other companies. This is about SpaceX increasing their launches, not the other companies increasing their launches,” Hart said.

The Coastal Commission has one job – take care of the California coast.

It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics.

For example, I have done more to advance sustainable energy & help the environment than maybe anyone… https://t.co/x5CF2WkVdA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2024

“We’re dealing with a company the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is,” she said.

Hart also appeared to forget that SpaceX Director of Government Affairs Matthew Dunn had participated in the hearing via Zoom earlier.

Commissioner Mike Wilson said at the hearing that politics and science “mix in these spaces.”

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Wilson complained that Musk was “speaking about political retribution on a national stage, and it was very glib, but yet he was standing next to a person, a candidate that openly promotes and is working to normalize that language, and we have to push back against that.”

Commissioner Gretchen Newsom accused Musk of “hopping about the country spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims.”

Musk skewered the Commission in comments posted to X.

“The Coastal Commission has one job – take care of the California coast. It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics,” Musk wrote.

The SpaceX founder added that he has done “more to advance sustainable energy & help the environment than maybe anyone ever, which is not exactly a ‘far-right’ position.”

“Yet here they are shamelessly breaking the law! They should resign immediately and face the appropriate legal consequences for their actions,” Musk said.

Musk has been outspoken in his support of Trump this election cycle.

During his October 5 campaign stop with Trump in Pennsylvania, the tech mogul urged people to register to vote and cast their ballot for Trump in the crucial swing state.

Trump is locked in an extremely close race with Vice President Kamala Harris. Several polls this month have shown her tiny national lead starting to shrink.