The company's founder, Elon Musk, has been outspoken against higher taxes on the wealthy, including space industry billionaires, but recognizes that increased government funding could potentially benefit SpaceX and accelerate its development processes. SpaceX is emphasizing the national importance of its Starship rocket, which plays a crucial role in NASA’s mission to return humans to the Moon in 2025. Despite safety concerns, SpaceX is keen to move as quickly as possible within the framework of public safety.
Key takeaways:
- SpaceX is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase its efficiency in issuing launch licenses, suggesting that the FAA double the staff in charge of this process.
- SpaceX has launched more than 70 rockets this year and plans to increase its rate by about 50 percent for 2024, but is concerned that the FAA cannot keep up with its growing launch capacity.
- SpaceX's Starship rocket is awaiting a launch license, with the FAA requiring 63 corrective actions to be implemented before it can fly again.
- Despite concerns about the speed of regulatory processes, SpaceX officials emphasized that they do not want to put public safety at risk and want to move as fast as they can within safety frameworks.