Vandenberg Space Force Base on Track to Double SpaceX Launches

••• “California Coastal Commission members agreed [last] Thursday that they lacked critical information to determine whether the proposal to double SpaceX rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base [to a rate of essentially one every three days] is consistent with state rules, but the vote isn’t expect to halt the increase. […] The military has the ability […], to determine that the project is consistent with the state’s Coastal Management Program and proceed with the activity after notifying the California agency via a letter.” Naturally, “neither the military nor SpaceX attended the meeting in person or virtually.” —Noozhawk

••• “The Trump Administration issued a new executive order making changes to the licensing and permitting process for the commercial space industry including the relaxation of federal environmental reviews. […] Wednesday’s executive order also takes aim at state-based regulatory authority.” —KEYT

••• SpaceX “has received billions of dollars in federal contracts over its more than two-decade existence. But SpaceX has most likely paid little to no federal income taxes since its founding in 2002 and has privately told investors that it may never have to pay any, according to internal company documents reviewed by The New York Times.”

••• “Santa Barbara County is taking the first step to repair two stairways accessing the beach in Isla Vista. […] The stairway at the end of Camino Del Sur is still open for now, but it was damaged earlier this year in storms. Meanwhile, the Escondido Passageway stairway, located on Del Playa Drive just east of Sea Lookout Park, is blocked off because of damage from January 2023 storms.” —Noozhawk

••• An update on Goleta road work: “Ekwill Street is beginning to take shape to the west and east of Pine Avenue, along a brushy tree-lined arm of Old San Jose Creek. Due to connect Fairview Avenue to South Kellogg by the end of next year, the dirt outline of the street travels the backside of the UPS truck depot and Northrup Grumman [….] A roundabout will go where work trucks currently thump down from Ekwill and cross Pine.” UPDATE: @SB_Updater directed me to a better map than the one I had first posted. —Independent

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