Billionaire Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has just been warned by the US Federal Aviation Administration and faces a fine of 15 billion VND for violating safety regulations.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX must operate at the “highest level of safety,” according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Mike Whitaker. He proposed a $633,000 fine for the company for violating safety rules ahead of two launches in 2023.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX risks being fined 15 billion VND for violating safety regulations (Photo: SpaceX).

“SpaceX has been in business for 20 years and I think they should operate at the highest level of safety, in full compliance with the aviation safety management system. They launched without a license,” Mr. Whitaker said at a hearing of the US House of Representatives.

Musk launched SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last year without final safety approval from the agency, according to the FAA. The July 2023 launch did not comply with launch requirements, did not have the necessary permits, and did not complete a pre-launch risk analysis.

SpaceX immediately denied Whitaker’s comments, calling the allegations baseless. SpaceX said it was “fully licensed to conduct Falcon launches” and had not violated Texas law.

“SpaceX rejects any FAA allegations that SpaceX has violated any laws. SpaceX is the safest and most reliable launch service provider in the world. We are absolutely committed to safety in all of our operations,” Musk’s company said in a statement.

The FAA declined to comment. However, in addition to the July 2023 launch, SpaceX has not yet received approval to amend its license related to the June 2023 launch of a rocket carrying an Indonesian telecommunications satellite, according to the agency.

Whitaker also defended the delay of the upcoming Starship 5 launch because SpaceX has not completed the required sonic boom analysis. Per the FAA, the certification cannot occur until late November.

Last week, Musk criticized FAA leaders for the $633,000 fine the agency proposed, saying they were penalizing SpaceX “for trivial issues that have nothing to do with safety, while ignoring real safety issues at Boeing. This is completely wrong and puts people’s lives at risk.”

In February 2023, the FAA proposed a $175,000 civil penalty against SpaceX for failing to submit certain safety data to the agency before launching Starlink satellites in August 2022.