SpaceX Faces Legal Battle Over Workplace Safety: Negligence Lawsuit Unveiled
SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, is currently entangled in a legal battle over alleged negligence stemming from a rocket engine malfunction in 2022. This incident, occurring on January 18, 2022, involved Francisco Cabada, a worker whose skull was fractured in the aftermath. The lawsuit, brought forth by Ydy Cabada, the spouse of the injured worker, was filed last week in a Los Angeles state court. Notably, this legal action has not been previously disclosed.
Engine Malfunction Details
The specific malfunction took place during the pressure testing of a Raptor V2 engine at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California facility. A critical component, the fuel-controller assembly cover, broke away, striking Cabada and resulting in a severe skull fracture. What makes this incident more troubling are claims from former employees who argue that it exposes deep-seated problems within the company’s operational framework.
Insiders familiar with the accident have informed Reuters that senior managers at the Hawthorne site were consistently warned about potential hazards associated with expediting the engine’s development. They also underscored issues such as insufficient staff training and inadequate testing of components. Notably, the part that failed during testing had a pre-existing flaw, which went unaddressed prior to the incident.
SpaceX has chosen to remain silent on both the lawsuit and the broader investigation conducted by Reuters into workplace injuries. Additionally, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a significant SpaceX client with payments totaling $11.8 billion to date, has refrained from offering immediate comments on the legal proceedings.
The Raptor engines, implicated in this unfortunate incident, play a crucial role in powering SpaceX Starship—an innovative rocket designed for satellite launches and human space travel. NASA, in its collaboration, has earmarked Starship for upcoming missions, including ambitious plans to land humans on the moon within the next decade.
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