SpaceX and the California Coastal Commission have settled a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk\u2019s rocket company over the agency\u2019s attempt to regulate its flights from Vandenberg Space Force Base.<\/p>\n
The settlement was reached last week by the two sides, but the details won\u2019t be made public until it is approved by Los Angeles U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. <\/p>\n
The case would remain pending if the settlement is not accepted. SpaceX and the Coastal Commission did not respond to messages asking for comment.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit was filed in 2024<\/a> after the agency that oversees the state\u2019s coastal development denied a plan by the rocket company to sharply increase its launches from the Santa Barbara County facility.<\/p>\n The rocket company has been launching its Starlink broadband satellites into space from the site, raising concerns about its effect on wildlife.<\/p>\n Nearby residents also have complained of sonic booms created by the company\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket.<\/p>\n SpaceX contends that the state doesn\u2019t have authority over its launches at the military base, and alleged political bias after several commissioners noted Musk\u2019s politics<\/a>, including his support of President Trump, during a hearing on the matter in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Musk controls \u2018one of the most extensive communications networks on the planet,\u2019 and … \u2018just last week\u2019 Mr. Musk was \u2018speaking about political retribution on a national stage,\u2019\u201d was one comment cited by SpaceX in court papers.<\/p>\n Blumenfeld dismissed the lawsuit in March 2025 but allowed SpaceX to amend and refile its complaint.<\/p>\n In July, he dismissed multiple causes of action in the second complaint, including claims for financial damages against four commissioners, but allowed others to move forward.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what practical effect the settlement might have. <\/p>\n Last August, the commission also turned down a plan<\/a> to boost the number of flights to 95 per year. However, the Space Force has exercised its federal authority to launch more flights from the base despite the agency\u2019s disapproval.<\/p>\n Seventy-one rockets blasted off last year, most of them by SpaceX. One hundred or more could take off this year, possibly making it the busiest spaceport in the world.<\/p>\n SpaceX also plans to launch its much bigger Falcon Heavy<\/a> rockets from another pad. The rocket straps three Falcon 9 rocket cores together and has 27 liftoff engines, compared with nine for the smaller rocket.<\/p>\n