As a result of SpaceX's failure to provide the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) with certain safety data prior to the launch of Starlink satellites in August 2022, the FAA on Friday suggested a $175,000 (about Rs. 1.45 crore) civil penalty against the company.
According to the FAA, SpaceX was obligated to send the data, also known as launch collision analysis trajectory data, to the organization directly at least seven days before a planned flight. The information is used to calculate the likelihood that one of the thousands of tracked objects orbiting the Earth would collide with the launch vehicle. After receiving the penalty letter from the FAA, SpaceX has 30 days to reply to the agency.
A request for comment from SpaceX did not receive a prompt response.
The FAA and SpaceX are now at odds over the proposed penalty as the Elon Musk-owned company's rapid-fire launch business puts US launch and rocket reentry standards to the test.
The FAA found SpaceX in breach of launch restrictions in 2020 for permitting the company's massive Starship rocket prototype to launch without obtaining permission of critical information regarding the vehicle's probable explosion radius.
After finding that SpaceX had violated license conditions for a Starship launch, the FAA changed SpaceX's commercial launch regulations in 2021 to demand that an FAA safety inspector be present for every flight at its Boca Chica launch station.
SpaceX revealed earlier this month that it would power up all 33 of the Starship's enormous 33 engines before its first orbital launch, a crucial step in the company's mission to Mars and the moon. The corporation, formerly known as Space Exploration Technologies, loaded the rocket and booster with fuel in a "wet dress rehearsal" roughly two weeks before to the announcement.
