Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a bill relating to spaceflight on Thursday that will undoubtedly benefit SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. His signature comes one day after the governor announced his run for the presidency while talking to Musk on Twitter Spaces.
DeSantis signed into law CS/SB 1318 – Spaceflight Entity Liability. The law removes liability from operating entities in the event of death or injury of spaceflight crews resulting from spacecraft and spaceflight activities originating in Florida. The state is notable for being the typical launch point of SpaceX aircraft, thereby saving Musk legal trouble that could result from spacecraft mishaps.
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The law states that “a spaceflight entity is not liable for injury to or death of a participant or crew resulting from spaceflight activities.”
The law defines a “spaceflight entity” as a “public or private entity holding a United States Federal Aviation Administration launch, reentry, operator, or launch site license for spaceflight activities or which is otherwise authorized by the United States Government to conduct spaceflight activities.”
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The bill was first filed on March 1.
Musk came under fire last month when SpaceX launched a record-breaking rocket on April 20, which became the largest-ever rocket to take off. The spacecraft went out of control and exploded a few minutes after launch, scattering debris over a wider area than expected. The blast from the rocket engines also damaged the launch pad and scattered debris. The issues resulting from the launch reopened scrutiny of SpaceX’s safety practices.
