A former SpaceX<\/a> supervisor is accusing the company of \u201cdespicable conduct\u201d regarding its safety practices, claiming, among other things, that chronic understaffing was resulting in severe injuries the overworked employees<\/a> were \u201ctoo fearful to report.\u201d<\/p>\n In a scathing civil lawsuit filed initially in state court and removed to Los Angeles federal court last Friday, Robert Markert describes raising \u201cstrong concerns\u201d about revising a technical process that could \u201ceasily cause serious injury or death.\u201d However, Markert\u2019s complaint contends, SpaceX opted to keep things as-is because it was \u201cmore economical.\u201d<\/p>\n Markert, who spent nearly 14 years at SpaceX before he was fired, oversaw a team of 16 technicians responsible for retrieving the company\u2019s rockets upon their return to Earth and preparing them for reuse.<\/p>\n His complaint claims SpaceX refused to dial back a dangerously jam-packed launch schedule<\/a>, forced people to work up to three weeks in a row without a break and skimped on vital instructional programs in an attempt to save money.<\/p>\n When Markert, 37, voiced his concerns to management, he claims he was told that \u201cthe schedule comes first,\u201d according to his complaint. When he tried to schedule days off for his crew, Markert was \u201cchastised [by] his leadership team,\u201d the complaint alleges. And when Markert flagged a crucial manpower shortage on the ships SpaceX uses to fetch spacecraft at sea<\/a>, he says he was told he \u201cneeded to bring solutions, not problems.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A new lawsuit alleges a severely lacking safety culture at Elon Musk’s SpaceX and employee said they were fired for pointing out concerns. (NASA)<\/p>\n In one instance, Markert suggested to higher-ups that SpaceX<\/a> \u201cneeded to prioritize\u201d more training sessions for workers to get properly certified in certain areas, according to the complaint. But, it maintains, he was told that \u201cthere is no time for that and the company would not spend the money on it.\u201d<\/p>\n The privately-held commercial launch services company founded and controlled by Elon Musk<\/a>, the world\u2019s richest person, expects to book revenues this year of more than $15 billion. <\/p>\n Markert was let go this spring by SpaceX, which has seen four of its rockets explode so far<\/a> in 2025. His complaint argues his termination was due in part to his criticisms of the company\u2019s safety shortcomings. <\/p>\n Reached by phone, Markert referred The Independent to his attorney, who was traveling Monday and unable to comment.<\/p>\n SpaceX officials, along with the outside lawyers defending SpaceX against Markert\u2019s claims, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Last year, Musk moved the 13,000-strong firm\u2019s headquarters from California to Texas<\/a>, amid a feud with \u201cwoke\u201d Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Markert worked at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles. <\/p>\n SpaceX has faced other recent lawsuits filed by ex-employees who felt they, too, had been wronged on the job. Earlier this month, a Black materials inspector at the same plant as Markert sued SpaceX after being fired for tardiness, which he alleged was overlooked if the offender happened to be white<\/a>. In May, a SpaceX worker in Washington State who suffered from Crohn\u2019s disease filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming his supervisors timed his bathroom breaks<\/a> and wrote him up if he spent more than 10 minutes on the toilet. (Crohn\u2019s can cause<\/a> urgent, often uncontrollable, bowel movements.)<\/p>\n Markert\u2019s complaint says he was \u201cwell liked by his peers, and consistently received positive performance reviews.\u201d At the same time, Markert \u201cfrequently brought up safety and labor concerns,\u201d according to the complaint. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A company owned by the world’s richest person was regularly cutting corners on safety in an attempt to save money, according to Robert Markert, who is now suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX for firing him this spring (Getty)<\/p>\n Concerned about the unforced errors that fatigued employees tend to make, Markert informed his bosses that \u201cseveral technicians were being required to work sometimes 15 to 20 days in a row without a day off,\u201d and that others were denied rest periods during their shifts, the complaint states. <\/p>\n According to the complaint, SpaceX management<\/a> told Markert that \u201cthe schedule comes first.\u201d If he tried to schedule a day off for an exhausted underling, Markert would be \u201cchastised\u201d by his supervisors. And when Markert tried to persuade SpaceX to add more bodies to his team, the complaint says he was \u201cshut down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Markert] informed his senior leadership that many of the technicians were being overworked as they were not staffing enough technicians on ships,\u201d the complaint goes on. \u201cThis resulted in technicians doing multiple duties simultaneously in a high stress and extremely dangerous environment which resulted in injuries that technicians were too fearful to report. After voicing concerns to leadership, [Markert] was frequently told he needed to bring solutions, not problems. However, when [Markert] suggested more technicians, he was denied.\u201d<\/p>\n If SpaceX wouldn\u2019t hire more technicians, Markert \u201csuggested they dial back on the mission manifest,\u201d but was \u201ctold the Vice President of Launch would never allow that,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n In early 2025, it says Markert raised \u201cstrong concerns\u201d about a process involving the recovery of rocket fairings<\/a> he considered extremely unsafe, and one he believed could seriously injure, or even kill, somebody. He recommended the company create a new system to reduce the risk, the complaint states. <\/p>\n \u201cThe company decided not to act on the issue and kept the\u2026 process as it was because it was the more economical solution,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Markert worked at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. He is now suing after allegedly being fired for reporting what he says were shortcomings in the company’s safety practices. (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n Markert\u2019s tenure at SpaceX came to an end in April 2025, which he claims was retaliation for consistently flagging safety problems<\/a>, as well as an apparently confounding issue with one of his subordinates. <\/p>\n In early 2024, Markert agreed to hire a SpaceX<\/a> employee from the East Coast, who had filed a discrimination complaint against her previous team and was looking for a \u201cfresh start,\u201d the complaint explains. It says the transfer employee complained frequently to Markert about coworkers underperforming or misbehaving. He took her grievances seriously, and duly brought them to human resources, but they often turned out to be exaggerated or even fabricated, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n A year later, on the transfer employee\u2019s last day with SpaceX, she filed a discrimination report against someone on Markert\u2019s team, his complaint says. An investigation substantiated the claims, which are not laid out in the complaint, and on April 2, 2025, Markert was fired. When he asked what he had done wrong, the SpaceX HR reps told Markert they \u201ccould not share any details,\u201d according to the complaint. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1227885440.jpeg\")
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