SpaceX sues California regulator, claiming launches blocked due to Elon Musk’s politics

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has accused a California regulator of political discrimination after it voted to block the rocket company from conducting more launches on the state’s central coast.

SpaceX claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that members of the California Coastal Commission violated Musk’s right to free speech and overstepped the agency’s authority after members cited the billionaire’s conspiratorial comments on his social media platform X in denying the bid. The commission oversees development and environmental protection of the state’s coastline.

It’s not clear whether the commission was ever in a position to block the project, and the increased number of Falcon 9 rocket launches was previously recommended by the US Air Force. But the incident marks one of the most tangible examples yet of Musk’s controversial presence on X potentially impacting his other companies, after having contributed to the declining value of his social media platform.

The US Space Force, which partners with SpaceX to transport some NASA astronauts, proposed in September that SpaceX could increase its number of annual rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base, a military base on the coast near Santa Barbara, California, from 36 to 50. SpaceX also conducts commercial launches from the base to deliver its Starlink satellites into orbit.

But the California Coastal Commission opposed the plan. At an October 10 meeting, members voted 6 to 4 against increasing the launches.

At the meeting, commissioners “raised other concerns wholly unrelated to coastal effects,” SpaceX alleged in the complaint, filed in California Central District Court. Members allegedly referenced SpaceX’s employment practices — which have been the subject of lawsuits from the US Justice Department and former employees — as well as the use of Musk’s Starlink in global geopolitical conflicts.

“Commissioner (Mike) Wilson wanted to ‘acknowledge’ that the outcome of the Starlink program will be Mr. Musk having control over ‘one of the most extensive communications networks on the planet,’ and further stated that ‘just last week’ Mr. Musk was ‘speaking about political retribution on a national stage,’” the complaint states.

SpaceX accused the commission of showing what it described as “overt, and shocking, political bias.” It cites statements by commissioners during the meeting, including one from commissioner Gretchen Newsom, who noted Musk’s “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.” (Newsom is unrelated to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.)

Musk, who has endorsed former President Donald Trump for reelection, repeatedly posted rumors and false claims denigrating the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, adding to a flood of misinformation about the storm online, and portrayed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as incompetent.

Musk has also previously promoted racist conspiracy theories about immigrants and Jewish people. And in a now-deleted post following the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, he seemed to question why “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”

The lawsuit also alleges that launches on the base are federally regulated activities, not subject to the approval of state regulators like the coastal commission, and seeks a ruling from the judge confirming that claim. SpaceX is also seeking monetary damages.

Joshua Smith, public information officer for the California Coastal Commission, told CNN the agency declined to comment on the lawsuit.