SpaceX has denied the Federal Aviation Administration’s claim that it violated regulations

SpaceX, one of the pioneers of the space industry, has filed a lawsuit in response to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) claim that it violated regulations in the last two launches.

According to Tekna Technology Media’s astronomy news service, the FAA announced on September 17 that it intends to impose a $630,000 fine on SpaceX due to violations in the launch of two communication satellites. Elon Musk, CEO and founder of the company, also quickly reacted to this claim and announced on the X social network that SpaceX will challenge the FAA for “regulatory abuse”. In a letter that SpaceX sent to the US Congress, the company detailed the reasons for rejecting the FAA’s claim and accused the agency of being slow to review requests from private companies active in the space sector.

The FAA claims that SpaceX used a new control room without obtaining the necessary permits in the PSN SATRIA satellite launch and did not conduct a pre-launch readiness survey. Also, in the launch of the EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter 3 satellite, the company used a new fueling facility that was not licensed for operation.

However, SpaceX maintains that these actions were in line with safety standards and did not pose any risk to launch operations. As an example, the company pointed to the FAA’s approval to use the new fueling facility on another launch and asked why different decisions were made for similar launches. In its letter to Congress, SpaceX emphasized that it strongly denies the FAA’s allegations of violations of regulations and expects Congress to step in and take the necessary steps to remove obstacles to the growth of the commercial space industry.

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