Elon Musk May Now Control Fate of SpaceX Regulators at FAA — ProPublica

For each launch, AST's staff calculate the risk that "uninvolved" members of the public, or their property, will be harmed. They also consider whether the launch will cause environmental damage or interfere with other airspace activities like commercial flight, as well as make sure a rocket's payload received the proper approvals. … 

But Musk has criticized AST for focusing on "nonsense that doesn't affect safety." He's also emphasized that his company moves quickly and must have failures to learn and improve. Within SpaceX, this approach is known as "rapid iterative development." And it is not without risk. Last month, when Starship blew up shortly after liftoff, dozens of airplanes scrambled to avoid falling debris. Residents of the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos reported finding pieces of the craft on beaches and roads, and the FAA said a car sustained minor damage… 

Musk, however, downplayed the explosion as "barely a bump in the road." Moreover, he seemed to brush off safety concerns, posting a video of the flaming debris field with the caption, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"

https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-spacex-doge-faa-ast-regulation-spaceflight-trump