A California agency with regulatory power over the state’s coastline issued an apology to SpaceX on Tuesday as part of a legal settlement with the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk.
The California Coastal Commission apologized for the remarks its commissioners made in October 2024 about SpaceX and Musk, specifically for letting their political beliefs about the Republican-friendly CEO color their regulatory decisions.
“The Commission agrees that it may not consider irrelevant factors in performing its function and specifically agrees that it will not take into account the perceived political beliefs, political speech, or labor practices of SpaceX or its officers in considering any regulatory action concerning SpaceX,” the state agency said in a court filing.
The filing continued: “The Commission acknowledges that Commissioners made statements, including during their October 10, 2024, hearing on the Base’s Falcon 9 launch program, that showed political bias against SpaceX and its Chief Executive Officer and were improper. The Commission apologizes for those statements.”
At the time, California’s 12-commissioner body rejected SpaceX’s plan to increase the number of Falcon 9 launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The commission argued the launches constituted commercial activity subject to state coastal regulations.
SpaceX promptly sued the California Coastal Commission. The effort was backed by the U.S. Air Force, which disregarded the commission’s objection and proceeded with the expanded launch schedule. SpaceX has launch contracts with the Air Force and Space Force.
SpaceX’s lawsuit said the commission’s “objection was rooted in animosity toward SpaceX and the political beliefs of its owner Elon Musk.”
Caryl Hart, who was chairwoman of the state agency in 2024, said Musk “aggressively injected himself into the Presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is.”
Gretchen Newsom, a commissioner unrelated to the Democratic governor, also pointed out the billionaire’s political advocacy, saying he’s “hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods, and attacking FEMA.”
The federal disaster agency was facing pushback at the time over its handling of two devastating hurricanes that season, Helene and Milton. For people affected in those areas, Musk helped grant free access to the internet through Starlink, which is owned by SpaceX.
Now, the California Coastal Commission will not require coastal permits for most launches at the Space Force facility.
The settlement agreement, filed in Los Angeles federal court, was signed by both parties and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) this month but didn’t become public until this week.
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Under the California Coastal Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act, the commission is authorized to regulate SpaceX’s launch program at the Vandenberg Space Force Base because it’s located along the central California coast.
Later Wednesday, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg base to deploy 24 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit. The rocket is scheduled to launch between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time.