When a stellar ship Spacex exploded in January, the rain was running through the Caribbean, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily substantiated the missile program and ordered the investigation. This step was the last in a number of actions taken by the agency against the leading world commercial space campaign.
“Security drives everything we do in FAA,” said the chief lawyer of the agency in September, offering $ 633,000 for alleged violations related to the two previous launches. “Failure to comply with security requirements will lead to consequences.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s reaction was fast and pungent. He accused the agency of participating in the “offense” and threatened to sue “regulatory work”. “The fundamental problem is that humanity will be timed forever if there is no radical reform in the FAA!” Musk wrote on x.
Today, Musk is in a unique position to deliver these changes. As one of the closest advisers to President Donald Trump and the head of the recently set up government efficiency, he presides over the efforts of the administration to reduce costs and regulation.
While it is unclear what changes he has in the FAA store, the current and former staff attracts musk to focus on the little -known part of the agency that regulates its missile campaign: Commercial Space Transportation Management known as Ast. “People are nervous,” said a former employee who did not want to quote by name, talking about Musk.
Tech Titan and its company were a critical state responsible for licensing commercial missile launches and providing public safety around them. After the fines in September SpaceX sent a letter to Congress, which exploded AST for being too slow to keep up with the prosperous space industry. In the same month, Musk called on Fao Mike Whitakter’s head to resign and told the participants of the conference in Los -Andeles: “In fact, you cannot create a giant missile faster than the paper can move from one table.”
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It seems to be the FAA leadership heard it. On Trump’s inauguration day, Whitter left the post – four years before the end of his term. And experts said the pressure this year will grow practically when Musk is pursuing an aggressive Starship launch schedule, the most powerful rocket, if -something built.
The Whitter did not respond to the requests for comment.
According to experts, part of the problem for AST is a bandwidth.
Over the past six years in the office has been observed six times an increase in launch, with 26 in 2019 157 last year – with SpaceX Lead Packing. At the same time, the staffing and budget of AST did not keep up. The agency has approximately 160 people who control regular flights of private missile companies – sometimes more than one day – giving satellites into orbit, giving the astronauts attractions, assisting in the efforts to monitor national security and transferring tourists to the edge of space.
The launch of the traffic “increased in geometric progression,” said George Nilda, who headed the post from 2008 to 2018. “There is no sign that it turns and even align.”
For each launch, AST employees expect the risk that “non -verified” members of the public or their property will harm. They also believe whether the launch can harm the environment or interfere with other airspace activities such as a commercial flight, and make sure that the useful rocket load has received proper permits. Space vehicles are licensed in the office, but they are much smaller.
The average process takes five months. “It will take a certain amount of time to do the job to protect the public and you want to do it right,” Nild said. He said the consequences of the office reduction or its elimination could be devastating at all. “If the rocket leaves the course and no one has doubled it, and so you have a serious catastrophic event, it will lead to a huge reaction.”
But Music criticized AST for focusing on “non -security”. He also emphasized that his company is moving fast and must have failures to find out and improve. In SpaceX, this approach is known as “rapid iterative development”. And it’s not without risk. Last month, when Starship blew up shortly after lifting, dozens of planes moved to avoid drop -down debris. Residents of the Caribbean Turks and Kaikos reported that they found pieces of crafts on the beaches and roads, and FAA stated that the car had inflicted slight damage.
Space said He considered the data to determine the reason, promising “a thorough investigation, in coordination with FAA, and to implement corrective actions to improve future test flights”.
Musk howeverHardly blow on the road.“Moreover, he seemed to deprive him of security problems, posting a video with a signature field:” Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! “He also said Nothing suggested The accident will push plans to launch the next star this month – although the FAA investigation has yet happened.
Moriba Jah, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas, said Musk’s reaction was “recklessness … at least”, given that people were alarmed by the fall of missile debris, which started fire and smoked across the sky before and landing in and land in And land and land and land and land in and land and land and land before and not land in and not land before landing in the sky before landing in the sky, and before landing in the sky. Around the islands.
“What he now gets to provide government control over what he is trying to get permission to do is one of the most significant conflicts I have seen in my career, and that’s inexplicable,” – said Ja, who served, served on the Federal Advisory Committee on AST.
The White House did not answer propublica questions about Dogel plans. Last week, officials referred to Trump’s comments, which stated that if the conflict arises for Musk between one of his enterprises and his government work, “we will not allow him to approach him.” Carolina Levit, Trump’s press, also stated that Musk “would justify himself from these contracts if necessary.”
Musk and SpaceX did not answer the questions.
Ja said that Musk and others who advocate less regulation have what he called “Run, Child, Mentality”, which could push the FAA office in the wrong direction.
Galina representatives and Congress members accused FAA of more risk than necessary by suffocating innovation.
“With peoples such as China, seeking to jump over our achievements in space, it is even more necessary for us to order our processes, issuing timely statements, minimize normative loads and promote innovative cosmic concepts,” said Brian Babin, Republican from Texas and Texas and at the hearing in September, which enters the Chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He said he was concerned about the FAA rules could cause the mission to return the astronauts to the moon “unnecessarily”.
Babin did not respond to an AST interview request.
Sean Duffy, the new Trump’s transport secretary, has already noted that his department will bring a more convenient approach for the business.
Last month, during the confirmation hearings when Senator Ted Cruz from Texas criticized the FAA compulsory execution against SPACEX and asked if he “would pledge these punishments and more widely to reduce the bureaucratic work and accelerate launch,” – said Dauphi what he will be. “I have to do review and work with you, and keep an eye on space launch, and what is happening in FAA for launch.”
Duffing since then said he was talking to Musk about the reform of airspace and there is I am looking for doge Last week, “Help modernize our aviation system” – a step that attracted a quick reproach from Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington. She called Musk’s participation in FAA, the conflict of interest.
The Department of Transport did not make the DAFF available for the interview, and the FAA did not answer the written questions provided by Propublica, despite numerous comment requests.
Res. Zoya Lofgren from California, the Chief Democrat of the Committee on Science, said that the regulation of the commercial space provides two -party support.
According to her, it is necessary to manage the safety of crews and neighbors, as well as noise and pollution. “There must be a road police officer,” she said, especially given the enhanced launches and issues such as space garbage. “It can’t be just a wild West, huh?”
42 million dollars allocated annually on AST is less than 1% of the FAA budget.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who monitors space launches at the Smithson Astrophysical Observatory, said the office needed resources and powers to prosecute the company as the industry grows and has more impact. “The government will need to play a role,” he said, “and they will have to understand.”
Last year, the Government Advisory Committee recommended AST to leave the FAA and become an Autonomous Agency at the Ministry of Transport.
Proponents claim that this step will help AST get more attention and potential resources. Proponents of the industry also say that the FAA culture does not allow failures – the basis of its surveillance of the commercial airline – culturally suited for what AST does, given how young the space industry.
AST does not require every mission to succeed in the usual sense, said Carin Sheneverk, a Galina consultant, who was sitting in the Advisory Committee. “They can’t,” she said. The launch of the rocket is still so new, the purpose of the office – to make sure that the failures do not harm anyone – not prevent them at all, she said.
Because the launches have become more common but also have problems such as the Starship explosion. The report of the Government Bureau revealed that three years before the inspection of 2023, the commercial space launches about two dozen setbacks, the period of the industry for “catastrophic explosions and other failures”.
Although the report notes that none of these incidents led to death, serious injuries or significant damage to the public, there were other consequences. For example, the first launch Starship in April 2023 Cloud of dust And the dirt that stretched on Texas. Garbage like concrete and a shard Environmentally sensitive to the migration habitat of birds Next to Boca Chica started. Residents complained, said Ja, but “citizens of this community do not feel what they are heard.” The New York Times report noted that the egg yolk that stained the ground near the bird’s nest.
In response, Musk wrote on x: “To replenish this horrific crime, I will abstain from the availability of omelets during the week.”
SpaceX’s plans to launch the next stellar ship this month is included in an accelerated schedule that the company pushes AST to approval. The company launched four vehicles in 2024, and officials said they wanted to launch 25 this year.
