SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Calls For Resignation Of FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker

Elon Musk on Wednesday called for the resignation of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Mike Whitaker as the tension between the federal agency and the billionaire’s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX mounts.

What Happened: “He (Whitaker) needs to resign,” Musk said on social media platform X.

"…every statement he made was incorrect," SpaceX wrote in a letter addressed to U.S. House of Representatives member Kevin Kiley  (R-Calif.). "It is deeply concerning that the Administrator does not appear to have accurate information immediately available to him with respect to SpaceX licensing matters."

Whitaker told lawmakers on the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday that the decision to delay Starship launches is grounded in safety and also backed the $633,009 fine proposed on SpaceX earlier this month. He said that the fines were proposed against SpaceX for using plans not approved by the agency last year during certain launch missions conducted with the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Why It Matters: "Flight 5 (of Starship) is built and ready to fly. Flight 6 will be ready to fly before Flight 5 even gets approved by FAA!" Musk said last week, referring to the delay in receiving approvals for Starship flights. Starship last flew in June, and the next test flight is now expected in November.

The CEO also accused the agency of favoritism towards Boeing after it proposed a fine of $633,009 on SpaceX.

“The FAA leadership spends their resources attacking SpaceX for petty matters that have nothing to do with safety, while neglecting real safety issues at Boeing. This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk,” Musk said last week.

SpaceX also sent a letter addressed to key members of the U.S. Congress, including Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) denying the FAA’s allegations of regulatory violations while also countering that the federal agency lacks the resources to review licensing commercial spaceflight operations.

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