The Space race that defined a part of the cold war between US and the Soviet Union has now taken a different turn. This is because, apart from state-owned space agencies, many private space exploration companies have now jumped into the bandwagon, making it more competitive that ever before.
Elon Musk Attacks FAA
One of the biggest names in the segment, Elon Musk's SpaceX, has been at loggerheads with the US's own NASA and has often accused it of being partial against the company owned by the richest man in the world.
Adding another chapter to the ongoing tussle, Elon Musk has now taken on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He has accused the FAA of impropriety and attacking SpaceX. In addition, he also accused the FAA of jeopardising human lives by not scrutinising Boeing's blemished Capusle. In his post on X, he said, "The @FAANews leadership spends their resources attacking @SpaceX for petty matters that have nothing to do with safety, while neglecting real safety issues at Boeing."
'Enough is Enough'
Musk further went on to add, "This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk. NASA deemed the Boeing capsule unsafe for astronaut return, turning, out of necessity, to SpaceX, yet instead of fining Boeing for putting astronauts at risk, the FAA is fining SpaceX for trivia!".
Exasperated Musk closed his post and said, "Enough is enough."
Musk himself was quoting a letter from his company, SpaceX.
In a post, the company claimed that the federal agency is not capable of regulating the space exploration avenue.
SpaceX said, "For nearly two years, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial spaceflight industry. It is clear that the Agency lacks the resources to timely review licensing materials, but also focusses its limited resources on areas unrelated to public safety."
The privately owned space research added, "These distractions continue to directly threaten national priorities and undercut American industry's ability to innovate."
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams | X/@Commercial_Crew
Mission Impossible
The Boeing Starliner Mission, which carried two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, to the International Space Station, was supposed to return to Earth after concluding an 8-day-long mission. But, unfortunately for the seasoned astronauts, the 8-day-long mission transformed into an almost 8-month-stay in the space as Nasa deemed the system unsafe for their return. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to be 'stuck' in space at least until February 2025.
