SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk has begun to publicly go after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amid ongoing delays for the Starship launch.
The FAA has delayed its approval for this launch for another few months, which has resulted in Musk blasting the federal regulators on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A Delay in Starship’s Launch
On Tuesday, SpaceX released a post on their website claiming that the FAA was pushing back Starship’s launch to late November.
In this post, the rocket company blasted the federal regulators for this move, which they say could ruin their ultimate goals for the company — including sending humans to Mars.
Musk Attacks FAA
On X, Musk also took the time to express his frustration with the FAA and their delays.
In response to a user who wrote about the delayed launch, he wrote, “We will never get humanity to Mars if this continues.”
Starship Is Ready
According to Musk and SpaceX, Starship is ready to launch — and has been for a while.
Starship has allegedly been ready for launch since the beginning of August. However, the FAA has continued to delay the acceptance of this launch, which has made both Musk and SpaceX publicly angry.
SpaceX Warns the FAA
After the delay of Starship’s launch to November, SpaceX publicly warned the FAA that this decision could end up costing the country quite a lot.
The company has stated that this could threaten the U.S. and its dominance in the space industry.
Taking Humans to Mars
Now, SpaceX has to wait to launch Starship in November, though they originally planned to see this launch occur in September.
Starship will eventually bring humanity to Mars, according to Musk. The first uncrewed Starship missions to Mars are anticipated to start in two years, whereas crewed missions will begin another two years later.
Why the FAA Has Delayed the Launch
FAA spokesperson Steven Kulm has confirmed that the FAA will not give SpaceX their anticipated final license to launch until late November.
The agency has explained this is because SpaceX modified the vehicle configuration, as well as the mission profile of the Starship’s flight. Now, a more in-depth review by the FAA must commence.
Other Issues
Kulm also pointed out that SpaceX changed how this flight will affect the environment, which has also resulted in this delay.
Kulm said, “In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed. This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies.”
SpaceX’s Allegations
Meanwhile, SpaceX has alleged that federal regulators have delayed Starship’s licensing process for a slew of reasons, none of which they agree with.
The company stated that the FAA “repeatedly derailed” the launch because of problems “ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd.”
The FAA and SpaceX
This isn’t the first time Musk has expressed his anger with federal regulators — and it likely won’t be the last.
However, the FAA has previously expressed that they are working overtime to ensure they keep up with SpaceX’s rapid launches. About 80% of all FAA overtime logged is because of SpaceX.
SpaceX Is Harming the Environment
These latest delays by the FAA come only a few months after Texas regulators found that SpaceX repeatedly released pollutants into bodies of water in the state.
This has led to outcries from many activists and environmentalists, as they are worried that SpaceX’s actions are increasingly harming the environment.
SpaceX Denies Allegations
Though reporting has confirmed that a Texas agency has found that SpaceX is violating the Clean Water Act, the company has denied that this has happened.
Now, as SpaceX faces new issues with the FAA, its problems with federal regulators don’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.
