California regulator apologizes to SpaceX

California’s Coastal Commission apologized to SpaceX in a federal court settlement over comments commissioners made about Elon Musk during a 2024 launch dispute. (courthousenews.com) The settlement says the commission “may not consider irrelevant factors” and cannot weigh the perceived political beliefs, political speech, or labor practices of SpaceX or its officers in regulatory action. (courthousenews.com 1) (courthousenews.com 2) SpaceX sued on October 15, 2024, five days after the commission voted 6-4 against a U.S. Air Force plan to raise Falcon 9 launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base from 36 to 50 a year. (courtlistener.com) (documents.coastal.ca.gov) At that October 10 hearing, SpaceX said commissioners tied the decision to Musk’s politics rather than to coastal law. Commissioner Gretchen Newsom had criticized Musk’s election-season statements, according to later court filings and coverage of the case. (sahmcapital.com) (santamariatimes.com) The fight was partly about who controls launch approvals at a military base. Vandenberg is federal property, and SpaceX argued California could not force it to get a state coastal development permit for launches the federal government had already reviewed. (courthousenews.com 1) (courthousenews.com 2) The commission did not drop its environmental objections. In the settlement and in prior staff reports, it said it still has serious concerns about beach closures, habitat impacts, and sonic booms tied to more frequent launches and landings. (courthousenews.com) (documents.coastal.ca.gov) The practical stakes had already shifted before the apology became public. After the commission objected in October 2024, the Air Force proceeded anyway under federal law, and later filings showed plans moving beyond 50 launches toward as many as 95 a year. (courthousenews.com) (documents.coastal.ca.gov) A federal judge had already kept part of SpaceX’s case alive in July 2025, ruling the company plausibly alleged a real dispute over whether California could demand a permit and threaten daily fines. (santamariatimes.com) The settlement closes the case, but it leaves the same split in place: California says more launches can hit coastal access and wildlife, while SpaceX and the federal government say launch authority at Vandenberg is primarily federal. (courthousenews.com) (documents.coastal.ca.gov)