The California Coastal Commission voted Wednesday to delay an item related to an increased number of SpaceX launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base after the panel raised multiple concerns, including whether it involved private, not federal, activity.

Commissioners revisited the Air Force’s federal consistency determination regarding plans to boost SpaceX launches and landings from six to 36 annually. Concerns about impacts on Jalama Beach County Park access led the panel to vote in December to take up the matter again.

After nearly two hours of discussion Wednesday afternoon, the commission agreed to the postponement amid questions about weather balloon debris, noise impacts, public launch alerts and more.

“I really do appreciate this pause because I was about to say that Houston, we have a problem. We’re not going to take off from here,” Commissioner Linda Escalante said. 

The biggest question centered on whether commercial space launches from Vandenberg could be considered federal activity as commissioners appeared irked at their limited role. They also again expressed disappointment that Vandenberg officials were on hand, but representatives of launch companies weren’t present.

Currently the most active, SpaceX is one of several firms conducting private launches since the government reduced its role and now buys rides on rockets for satellites.

Since Vandenberg is a federal site, the California Coastal Commission doesn’t issue permits or have the ability to approve or reject actual projects. 

Instead, it approves measures aimed at protecting coastal access and coastal resources while ensuring a proposed project remains consistent with the enforceable policies of the California Coastal Management Program. 

“It’s much more of a negotiation and kind of an equal powers dynamic,” said Cassidy Teufel, deputy director of the California Coastal Commission.

Commission staff had recommended that the panel approve the request with various conditions focused on environment monitoring and beach access.

However, some questioned whether SpaceX should apply for a Coastal Development Permit for launch activity involving private satellites.

The military has emphatically maintained that all launches at Vandenberg should be categorized as federal activity, with commission and Vandenberg representatives debating the matter often in recent years. 

However, it’s not a black-and-white dynamic, Teufel added.

The Coastal Zone Management Act spells out that federal agencies can seek a consistency determination for activities on its property. 

“The definition for that provides quite a bit of leeway to the federal agency to determine when it’s a federal agency activity,” Teufel said.  

Commissioner Dayna Bochco asked whether the panel could segregate launches by those benefiting the Department of Defense and those for private satellites.

That could be complex since one rocket can carry multiple satellites for various customers and some spacecraft serve both military and civilian purposes.

In response to a question from Commissioner Kristina Kunkel, Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, estimated that 25% to 33% of launches carried Department of Defense satellites.

“I could argue that all launches that SpaceX does support the Department of Defense and our partners and allies,” Titus said. 

Approximately 10 people, including several Ojai residents upset at the noise as well as fishing industry representatives, spoke out or wrote letters to express concerns about the impacts of the increased launches.

Base officials have estimated that Vandenberg’s launch capacity could reach 110 in the coming years, leading commissioners to question why they weren’t assessing the cumulative impact.

Before the commission delayed the action, staff had recommended a number of steps aimed at beefing up environmental monitoring and increasing Jalama Beach access. 

One proposed condition called for adding internet service at the beach and signage with beach status near Highway 1 and Jalama Road. They also proposed a program to ensure that all Lompoc Unified School District third-graders get to visit Jalama. 

Titus told commissioners that some measures taken in recent months include reducing the number of weather balloons to trim ocean debris. 

The item could return to the commission as soon as the meetings in May.