Confirmed: California’s coastal commission is looking for ways to block SpaceX launches at Vandenberg
According to an article yesterday in the Santa Barbara Independent, the California Coastal Commission is aggressively looking for ways it can prevent SpaceX and other commerical rocket companies from increasing the launch pace out of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
When asked how many launches at VSFB benefit the Department of Defense (DOD), Colonel Bryan Titus, vice commander for Space Launch Delta 30, said that 25 percent hold DOD satellites and payloads, but argued that all SpaceX launches support the DOD and its allies.
“I just don’t think that SpaceX should be able to skirt the requirements for a Coastal Development Permit when its clear intent is to conduct primarily for-profit business activity and not federal activity,” said Kristina Kunkel, the Environmental Policy Director of the California State Controller’s Office.
The article confirms what I had speculated last week, that the Coastal Commission wants to find ways to impose its regulatory power over commercial launches inside Vandenberg, expressly to limit or stop those launches.
Side note to my readers: Posting will be light for much of today, as I will be visiting my doctor for a follow-up on my rib injury. Nothing bad has happened, but a follow-up seems wise to make sure things are healing as they should.
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According to an article yesterday in the Santa Barbara Independent, the California Coastal Commission is aggressively looking for ways it can prevent SpaceX and other commerical rocket companies from increasing the launch pace out of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
When asked how many launches at VSFB benefit the Department of Defense (DOD), Colonel Bryan Titus, vice commander for Space Launch Delta 30, said that 25 percent hold DOD satellites and payloads, but argued that all SpaceX launches support the DOD and its allies.
“I just don’t think that SpaceX should be able to skirt the requirements for a Coastal Development Permit when its clear intent is to conduct primarily for-profit business activity and not federal activity,” said Kristina Kunkel, the Environmental Policy Director of the California State Controller’s Office.
The article confirms what I had speculated last week, that the Coastal Commission wants to find ways to impose its regulatory power over commercial launches inside Vandenberg, expressly to limit or stop those launches.
Side note to my readers: Posting will be light for much of today, as I will be visiting my doctor for a follow-up on my rib injury. Nothing bad has happened, but a follow-up seems wise to make sure things are healing as they should.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Orange Man Bad
and now . . .
Musk Man Bad
I like the space industry’s response: they didn’t bother to show up to the meeting. The military needs to stand up to and crush these godless commies. But our military is a bunch of sissy bois in high heels and dresses and will capitulate.
Well since SpaceX is mixing DoD communication, and in the future imaging, satellites in potentially every launch of Starlink they could say that each flight is a government contract. Because of security reasons they just can’t say anymore than that.
Rocket J Squirrel has a good idea. If things go poorly for SpaceX at Vandy, they could slip in one StarSheild satellite with every batch of StarLinks and call it a military flight.
These California bureaucrats have a ton of work from home freedom. I wonder how many works are sitting in the new $500M O Street office building on a typical work day? Must be at least a baker’s dozen. I wonder if Kristina Kunkel (quoted in the article) even lives in California?
From the article:
In a nation of We the People, it is good to know that the government considers government activity to be of primary importance and considers that the commerce that gives us our livelihoods and keeps us all fed, alive, and healthy comes last.
Wait a minute …
From the very first sentence of the article:
So, SpaceX has asked for permission to increase the launch cadence, but somehow Kristina Kunkel sees that as “skirt[ing] the requirements for a Coastal Development Permit” (as though launches are coastal development)? Those bureaucrats in the California State Controller’s Office sure see the world from a different perspective, in their ivory towers. It is so good to know that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, has not perished from the earth.
It has only perished from California.
If Space X is doing nothing but increasing the number of launches and not actually building any new facilities then I can not see the commission having a leg to stand on.
The military could build everything needed and loan it to Space X.
If we are really going into world war 3, who do you trust more, the current military industrial complex that can’t even launch to the ISS, or Elon Musk with space lasers and killer robots? I know where my money is.
Jay:
Not just StarShield. Its come out that SpaceX and the NRO are designing imaging satts that look like Starlink comm satts. Right now its easy to figure out when an imaging satt goes overhead and try and plan around it. If you can’t tell well then its a problem.
Does the Commission have a report ready on why the coastal highway recently fell into the sea, and what they are going to do to prevent future impacts like this on development, not to mention life and limb?!
Viability of coastal highways = your knitting
Operations at Vandenberg SFB = DoD’s knitting
Stick to yours.
Absolutely correct, Jay. They love telling us to “stay in your lane”.
Jay Johnson (harrumph!) makes a good point, that “military” flights could be coupled with commercial payloads. Because “rideshare” is now possible on Falcon 9:
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-launches-first-bandwagon-rideshare-mission/
If not, SpaceX might simply decide to launch Starships from Florida and North Tamaulipas. Those are the agencies I’m more worried about; California frankly is a rogue state at this point.
“Elon Musk with space lasers and killer robots”
– David K
And, from what I understand, Top Secret Battle Monkeys (but don’t tell anyone)
https://t.ly/qkgZF
Battle monkeys and lasers on sharks were my ideas!!!!
Confound him!!!!!!!!
That the state Controller’s office (a financial watchdog, supposedly) has a bureaucrat with the title of Environmental Policy Director tells you everything that’s wrong here in California. And, to the question above, “why the coastal highway recently fell into the sea”, we all know the answer to that. Of course, Climate Change!
New bumper sticker idea: “SEN!” (Stop Erosion Now!)