The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a $175,000 civil penalty against SpaceX on Friday for failing to submit some safety data to the agency prior to the launch of Starlink satellites in August 2022.
According to the FAA, SpaceX was required to submit the information, known as launch collision analysis trajectory data, to the agency directly at least seven days before an attempted launch. The data is used to calculate the likelihood of a collision between the launch vehicle and one of the thousands of tracked objects orbiting the Earth. After receiving the penalty notice, SpaceX has 30 days to respond to the FAA.
SpaceX did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The proposed penalty is the latest clash between SpaceX and the FAA as the Elon Musk-owned company’s fast-paced launch business puts U.S. launch and rocket reentry regulations to the test.
The FAA found SpaceX in violation of launch regulations in 2020 after allowing a prototype of the company’s massive Starship rocket to take off without first obtaining approval for critical data involving the vehicle’s potential blast radius.
After the FAA said the company violated license requirements for a Starship launch, the FAA revised SpaceX commercial launch requirements in 2021 to require an FAA safety inspector to be present for every flight at its Boca Chica launch facility.
