Lawsuit filed after commission denies its request to boost number of annual launches
The California Coastal Commission rejected SpaceX's request to increase the number of launches it makes every year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, and now SpaceX is suing the regulatory agency. The Elon Musk-founded company is accusing the commission of political bias, claiming in its lawsuit that the denial of its request was an act of "naked political discrimination," the Los Angeles Times reports. Currently, 36 launches of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets are allowed annually at Vandenberg, and SpaceX wanted to up that number to 50, KTLA reports. Military officials said SpaceX was expected to bump the target even higher, to 100, in a request next year.