US Sues SpaceX Over Alleged Hiring Discrimination Against Asylum Recipients, Refugees; SpaceX Delays Crew-7 Mission.

The US Department of Justice has sued Elon Musk-owned SpaceX for allegedly engaging in discriminatory hiring practices against asylum recipients and refugees.

According to the Justice Department, the lawsuit claims that from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX actively discouraged individuals with asylum status or refugee backgrounds from applying for jobs and even refused to hire or consider them based on their citizenship status.

The same is said to be in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act; the department further asserts that SpaceX falsely cited federal export control laws as reasons for only hiring US citizens and lawful permanent residents, commonly known as “green card holders.”

Further, the lawsuit also highlighted instances of billionaire Elon Musk making statements online that are considered discriminatory.
For instance, in a tweet from June 2020, Musk stated that “US law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.”

Elon Musk responded to the lawsuit by characterizing it as the “weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes.” He went on to explain on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter (again owned by Musk), that SpaceX was informed multiple times that hiring non-permanent US residents would breach international arms trafficking law.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s civil rights division mentioned that during the investigation, it found evidence of SpaceX’s failure to reasonably consider or employ asylees and refugees due to their citizenship status. The company’s recruiters and high-level officials were reportedly actively discouraging these individuals from seeking positions at the company.

The United States seeks not only fair consideration and back pay for those who were discouraged or denied employment at SpaceX due to alleged discrimination but also civil penalties determined by the court and policy changes to ensure compliance with federal non-discrimination regulations in the future.

The Halt To Space
Meanwhile, SpaceX and NASA have decided to postpone the launch of the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station, delaying the scheduled launch by a minimum of 24 hours.

Initially, SpaceX was preparing for the launch of the Crew-7 mission, intended to transport a team of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch was planned to take place in the early hours of Friday (August 25) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, this plan has been altered.

According to a statement released by NASA officials on Thursday night (August 24), both NASA and SpaceX have opted to delay the planned launch for the Crew-7 mission.
The new targeted launch time is set for 3:27 a.m. on Saturday, August 26; this launch aims to execute SpaceX’s seventh crew rotation mission to the microgravity laboratory for NASA.

The exact cause behind this delay, which was announced late on Thursday, remains unclear. The original plan was for the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying the astronauts, to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:50 a.m.

In a statement on social media, SpaceX mentioned that the decision to postpone the launch to Saturday, August 26 at 3:27 a.m., was made in order to give the teams additional time for analysis and completion of certain tasks. SpaceX emphasized that both the vehicles and the crew are in good condition and ready for the upcoming flight.

During a live broadcast, NASA spokesperson Rob Navias explained that mission managers had collectively chosen to delay the Crew-7 launch by 24 hours. This decision was intended to provide a bit more time to finalize certain administrative matters.

The latest weather forecasts from the US Space Force, which oversees rocket launches, predict a 95% likelihood of favorable weather conditions for the Saturday liftoff.
The Crew-7 mission’s roster includes four astronauts: NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli as the mission commander, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen representing the European Space Agency, Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos.

Once these astronauts reach the International Space Station, they will join the existing seven crew members already present on the orbiting laboratory. The Crew-7 team will be responsible for taking over operational duties from the Crew-6 astronauts, who have been on the space station since March.

This mission signifies the eighth collaborative flight between NASA and SpaceX as part of NASA’s commercial crew program, which has facilitated astronaut transportation to the space station since SpaceX’s inaugural mission in 2020.