Elon Musk says FAA should make Boeing pay for stranding Sunita Williams and Wilmore in space, not fine SpaceX

Elon Musk is taking aim at the Federal Aviation Administration for its decision to fine SpaceX instead of Boeing following a recent incident involving a NASA mission that left the veteran astronauts stranded at ISS. 

In a scathing post on X, Musk criticised the FAA for prioritising "petty matters" over real safety concerns, accusing the agency of neglecting serious issues at Boeing while unfairly targeting SpaceX, declaring, "This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk."

Elon Musk Space X fined by FAA

On September 17, Tuesday, the FAA slapped Musk-owned SpaceX with civil penalties amounting to $633,009 for allegedly violating licensing regulations during two different launches dating back to the year 2023. 

The administration stated that the private American aerospace company used an unauthorised launch control room during the PSN SATRIA mission on June 18th of that year.

"Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including a legal responsibility for the safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licences," said FAA Chief Counsel Marc Nichols. "Failure of a company to comply with the safety requirements will result in consequences," he continued, as per the press release earlier this week.

In February 2023, the company got hit with a $175,000 fine for not turning in the safety info they needed before they sent a Starlink rocket off in August 2022, a fine that was submitted right on time as per FAA. 

Additionally, in September 2023, the FAA completed an investigation into SpaceX's Starship rocket test launch ending up warning the company to implement numerous corrective measures.

Elon Musk says FAA should fine Boeing not Space X

SpaceX has strongly denied the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) allegations that the company violated US regulations during two recent launches. 

In a statement released on Thursday, the company rejected the FAA's findings.

Elon Musk criticised the organisation for spending "their resources attacking SpaceX for petty matters that have nothing to do with safety," while turning a blind eye to Boeing and its troubles.

"This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk. NASA deemed the Boeing capsule unsafe for astronaut return, turning, out of necessity, to SpaceX, yet instead of fining Boeing for putting astronauts at risk, the FAA is fining SpaceX for trivia!" he further added.

The Tesla owner was referring to Boeing's Starliner, which recently carried NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to space. 

It was scheduled to return just a week after launch; however, due to technical difficulties, NASA decided not to bring them back in the same capsule, resulting in a delay. 

The astronauts, who travelled on June 5, are still stuck in space and will only return in February 2025 when Musk-owned SpaceX's Dragon crew rescues them on their next mission.

Musk also shared SpaceX's letter to top congressional leaders on Wednesday citing, "These distractions continue to directly threaten national priorities and undercut American industry's ability to innovate."

SpaceX has made it clear that the FAA's space office for businesses is too few and not working well, which is causing hold-ups in checking out licensing stuff. 

The company says the FAA is putting too much focus on stuff that's not really about ensuring safety.