California rejects further SpaceX rocket launches after Musk's 'aggressive' presidential race involvement

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

11 hours ago


State officials have rejected SpaceX’s plans to launch further rockets in California, after Elon Musk’s recent “aggressive” insertion into the US presidential race. Questions have been raised as to whether actions by the space exploration company, owned by Musk, should be considered federal or private activity.

The plan to increase the number of SpaceX rocket launches to up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday, with some officials citing Musk’s incredibly political posts on his social media platform X. “We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” commission Chair Caryl Hart said.

“This company (SpaceX) is owned by the richest person in the world with direct control of what could be the most expansive communications system on the planet,” Commissioner Mike Wilson said. “Just last week that person was talking about political retribution.” In recent weeks, Musk’s involvement in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has become more stark. He has been overtly in favor of the former president on his “free speech” platform X, and appeared at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5 where he addressed Trump supporters.

He has also jumped on Trump bandwagon of attacking the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over its response to devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida – peddling conspiracies that federal funds are being used on illegal immigrants instead of flood victims. “Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/spacex-launch-elon-musk-us-election-california-b2628129.html

[BlueWavePsych]

1. Can't trust Musk, PERIOD

[Icanthinkformyself]

2. When Elmo

and his morbidly rich space buddies complain about their taxes going up under the Harris/Walz administration we need to remind them of all the taxpayer money that paid for the space research and development they are taking advantage of. They've had their dance. It's time to pay the piper.

[Stargazer99]

4. I am happy finally someone who has smarts tells it like it is-this business is one of the Welfare 'Queens

all the taxpayer money given to the business and no payback to the taxpayer. If it were one of the people that this capitalistic system has screwed to outside living there would be howling from the taxpayer about the money to find housing for people but the big boy Welfare Queens can slip by without a peep. See how well trained they have you?

[calimary]

3. Just another reason to love California!

[et tu]

5. plus ' leon ' helped russia

with starlink, at the risk of killing ukrainians .

[Wild blueberry]

6. Hello NASA?

Kindly cut all ties with this massive national security threat. Thank you.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "Kindly cut all ties with this massive national security threat. Thank you."

Then the only ones left to bring our astronauts home from the ISS (and send more there) are the Russians. Neither Europe nor Canada nor Japan, certainly bothered to step up to the plate to create vehicles that can do this despite their robust space programs.

Boeing was to be the attempt at being the "alternative" and is obviously failing at the moment.

[PortTack]

13. True...these ties were formed when he wasn't behaving as much like a Ntl security threat

Our government, NASA need to make it so they can bring astronauts home if needed and not depend on this idiot. He’s proven he can’t be trusted. It will take time, but an absolute must.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. That was the whole point behind propping up Boeing's "Starliner"

and right now there are 2 "stranded" astronauts up there who have to come home in a SpaceX Dragon capsule instead.

STARLINER (docked at ISS)


LANDED (White Sands, NM empty)

[PortTack]

18. NASA needs to step up. As I said it will take time but they can do it...we did it before

[BumRushDaShow]

19. "we did it before"

And who will fund that? Mike Johnson?

Seriously.

He doesn't even give a shit about the hundreds who have died, and billions of dollars in residential and business losses in the aftermath of the last 2 land-falling Hurricanes.

[NCjack]

7. What ever we can do stop creeps like him from feeding on taxpayers

and playing in politics.

[jimfields33]

9. I bet he will move every business out of California.

In his defense, he did pay 11 billion in taxes last year. Not sure about state revenue he brings in. But I bet he’ll take his toys to Texas out of spite.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. He already started

with moving "X" out of California.

He also moved his Neuralink thing to NV (from the above link) -

With this move, Texas now has many of Musk's companies given that SpaceX will also have its headquarters in the Lone Star State. Holdouts include the brain chip implant company known as Neuralink, which moved its headquarters from Fremont, Calif., to Nevada earlier this year and OpenAI challenger xAI.

[jimfields33]

12. Wow. No wonder California has such a large deficit.

That explains a lot. California needs to get some company’s moving in. Too many moving out.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. Silicon Valley

and more notably, the "crypto" industry is still there.

"Spite moves" in a world of climate change, can ultimately kill those companies not thinking through 5- and 10-year plans.

[Prairie Gates]

23. "In his defense..."

Always.

[republianmushroom]

11. Thank you, California.

[RussBLib]

14. "free*" Starlink

* only the first 30 days are "free." First you have to pay $300-$400 for the receiver, and you sign a contract that, after 30 days "free" you pay $120/mo. Oh, and it will take at least a few weeks before you'd get the receiver.

So now Musk is grifting as hard as Trump. Next up, Musk trading cards, Musk steaks and Musk cologne.

“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

21. 'Musk' by Musk. You thought perfume ads were bizarre before...

I've long been entertained by the holiday season ad weirdness by the scent industry

?si=wczN253p4-YJ0JcZ

[bahboo]

16. good...I live on the central coast, and the sonic booms are not only annoying...

there is evidence they have a negative effect on wildlife, both on land and sea....

[Martin68]

20. It's about time a state put the brakes on Musk's activities given his full-throated support for Trump, and his

white supremacist, anti-semitic statements.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

22. We MUST fund NASA better and keep something up there

President Harris needs to exec order the termination of ALL federal contracts with him based on his long standing and documentable antipathy towards Democracy

[BumRushDaShow]

24. "President Harris needs to exec order the termination of ALL federal contracts with him"

See this upthread - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3321263

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

25. Then treat them like they were Russian hostages

As soon as they're here, terminate the contracts.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. We manage a large part of the ISS

and it is due to be decommissioned some time around 2030. So that's not happening.

We will have to hope that Boeing gets its shit together with Starliner so we can finish out the life of that program.

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. -And yet DU continues to be flooded with X Social Media posts