SpaceX wants to nearly double the number of rocket launches into space from the California coast, with plans for almost 100 a year from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The plan would almost double the company’s current timetable of 50 rockets a year, despite clashing with the California Coastal Commission over concerns about the impact that the blasts could have on coastal wildlife, and on nearby residents who have reported startling sonic booms with the already steep rise in launches.
In early 2024, SpaceX and the U.S. Department of the Air Force had an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to launch six rockets a year into space. But the Air Force and SpaceX have quickly moved to dramatically increase the number of rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force in Santa Barbara County, asking the commission to agree to 36, then to 50, and now 95 rocket blasts a year.
A spokesperson for SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The California Coastal Commission is a state agency tasked with protecting the state’s 1,100 miles of coastland.
The fast uptick in rocket launches off the California coast has put the space exploration company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, in direct conflict with the California Coastal Commission, whose members have raised concerns about the impact of the launches, the lack of monitoring and whether the privately owned company is circumventing the permit process because it is a federal contractor, despite most of the rocket launches involving no equipment or missions for U.S. agencies.
In October, the coastal commission rejected a plan for SpaceX to launch up to 50 times a year. Just days later, SpaceX responded by suing the commission and accusing the agency of “egregiously and unlawfully overreaching its authority.”
The dispute has taken on a political tone.
During the October meeting, commissioners cited concerns that Musk had inserted himself into the presidential race, spread conspiracy theories on social media and faced serious allegations that employees at his companies have been mistreated.
Commissioners have also pointed to reports that Musk’s company, Starlink, had refused to allow Ukraine to use satellite internet service to help carry out an attack against Russia in 2022, and questioned whether Musk’s decisions did not directly conflict with those of a U.S. ally.
In the suit against the commission, which is still pending in federal court, attorneys for SpaceX accuse commissioners of voting against the plan because of Musk’s political views.
Cooperation between the state commission and the Department of Air Force also seems to have flailed after the October meeting, with little agreement or communication between the two agencies.
During the October meeting when the commission rejected the plan for 50 launches, officials from the base said they had hoped to work with the commission to address seven conditions that had been requested from the U.S. Space Force.
But according to the staff report, there’s been limited progress, and little communication from the base, on those goals since.
The legal fight and disagreements with the commission, however, have had little effect on SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force’s plans to ramp up the number of rocket blasts so far at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Last year, Vandenberg Space Force Base was the site of 51 rocket launches with 46 of them being conducted by Musk’s SpaceX, according to a spokesperson for the base.
As of the first week of August, the base has been home to 38 rocket launches so far, with 33 of them being conducted by SpaceX.
The plan for more launches, submitted by the Air Force to the commission, would also double the number of landing events at the military base, which have also been reported to generate their own sonic boom blast. According to the staff report, the base expects 24 SpaceX rocket landing events a year at Vandenberg, including 12 first-stage booster landings and five Falcon Heavy missions that would have two boosters landing simultaneously at the base.
SpaceX is also planning up to 76 at-sea landings off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The company would then transport the equipment to the Port of Long Beach, and transfer it to Vandenberg Harbor, back to the base.
On Thursday, the California Coastal Commission is scheduled to consider SpaceX’s plan to fire 95 rockets a year, but military officials are expected to move forward with the plan despite the panel’s decision.
Military officials have argued that the SpaceX launches should be considered federal activity because all of the launches — even those done for the private benefit of Musk’s company, Starlink — also benefit U.S. military objectives.
A previous staff report from the commission stated that 87% of SpaceX launches from Vandenberg weren’t carrying equipment or conducting missions for government agencies, but were carrying equipment for Starlink.
If the launches are considered federal activity, Space Force officials are not legally bound to obtain a permit or permission from the coastal commission. Instead, they can try to reach an agreement to mitigate the effects of the blasts, but can move forward regardless of whether an agreement is reached.
Military officials argue that all launches from the base benefit the readiness of the country.
“Vandenberg Space Force Base plays a vital role in strengthening America’s national security by leveraging the power of commercial innovation,” Col. James T. Horne III, the Space Launch Delta 30 commander, said in a statement. “The commercial sector is driving advancements once exclusive to government programs, such as proliferated low Earth orbit communication systems that directly support the Department of Defense. U.S. launch providers continue to innovate, offering agile, service-based solutions that operate at the ‘speed of need.’ ”
Staff for the coastal commission are expected to again raise concerns about the doubling of rocket launches from the base, arguing that military officials and SpaceX are not providing enough information about the impacts on wildlife, are failing to do enough monitoring to measure the impacts and reach of sonic booms, and that SpaceX should seek permits for its launches because it is conducting them for private benefit, not for the federal government.
“Based on existing information, the proposed SpaceX launch activities do not appear to be a federal agency activity,” the report to the commission reads. “Rather, the existing available information indicates that the proposed launch cadence’s primary purpose is to further expand and support SpaceX’s commercial satellite internet and telecommunications network, Starlink.”
Despite the pending lawsuit, staff for the coastal commission continue to argue in its report that launches by SpaceX should be regulated as a private company.
“The simple fact remains that it is a privately owned company engaged in activities primarily for its own commercial business,” the report reads, which recommends that the board oppose the agreement. “It is not a public federal agency or conducting its launches on behalf of the federal government. It should therefore be regulated accordingly.”
