SpaceX has found a perhaps unexpected ally in its quest to democratize space—the FAA, according to CNBC. FAA associate administrator for commercial space operations Wayne Monteith launched a spirited defense of the company he had criticized a few months before in front of a congressional committee last week. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had Monteith on the carpet to discuss the exploding (pun intended) commercial space industry and SpaceX naturally came up. Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Ore., and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., were particularly interested in the dust-up last December when the company launched prototype SN8 against the direction of the FAA.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-defends-spacex-to-congress