SpaceX faces $175,000 fine for not submitting information before recent launch

SpaceX is considering a proposed fine of $175,000 from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the launch company failed to provide necessary flight path information a spacecraft and potential collision analysis data within the required period. The FAA has said it requires SpaceX to provide this data at least one week before launch.

The launch in question was specifically a flight of 53 of SpaceX's own Starlink internet satellites loaded onto a Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off on August 19, 2022 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The dollar amount of the fine is less than the maximum civil penalty for this type of offense, which tops out at $262,666. The lower amount requested by the agency is due to what it determined to be the nature of the incident after investigating the details.

SpaceX now has 30 days to respond to the notice, which is the next step in the process once a proposed fine has been issued and the maximum possible penalty has been set. Note that at this point SpaceX technically owes nothing to the FAA - this comes after SpaceX makes its case and the FAA assesses its fine proposal in light of all the information it shares, and determines a fine actual final to inflict.