SpaceX could be fined $663,000 for failing to follow the requirements of its commercial space transportation license during two launches last year, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday.

The agency said Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. had requested revisions to launch plans from the FAA and proceeded without approval.

What You Need To Know

  • The Federal Aviation Administration proposed civil penalties of $663,009 for SpaceX on Tuesday

  • The agency said the company used unapproved protocols for two launches in 2023

  • The FAA is proposing $350,000 in fines for using an unapproved launch control room and not using a required readiness poll for a launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in June 2023

  • It's suggesting a $289,009 civil penalty for using an unapproved rocket propellant farm for a mission from Kennedy Space Center in July 2023

“Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including a legal responsibility for the safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses,” FAA Chief Counsel Marc Nichols said in a statement. 

“Failure of a company to comply with the safety requirements will result in consequences,” he added.

Those consequences are proposed civil penalties of $350,000 for using an unapproved launch control room and not using a required readiness poll for a launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in June 2023. FAA has also proposed a $289,009 civil penalty for using an unapproved rocket propellant farm for a mission from Kennedy Space Center in July 2023.

A request for comment from SpaceX was not answered by deadline.