SpaceX is considering a proposed $175,000 fine from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the launch company’s failure to provide the required information on the spacecraft’s trajectory and potential collision analysis data within the required timeframe. The FAA said SpaceX should provide that data at least a week before the launch.
The launch in question was a flight of 53 SpaceX’s own Starlink internet satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 19, 2022.
The amount of the fine is below the maximum civil penalty for this type of violation ($262,666). The lower amount requested by the authorities was determined by the nature of the incident after investigating the details.
SpaceX is now given 30 days to respond to the notice. This is the next step in the process after the proposed fine has been issued and the maximum possible penalty set. Note that SpaceX technically has no obligations to the FAA at this stage. This comes after SpaceX makes its claims, evaluates its good proposals against information shared by the FAA, and determines the final, actual fines to issue.
