The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has proposed streamlining regulations for commercial space launches and re-entries and said it plans to overhaul its space licensing framework next year, a potential boost for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ space firm Blue Origin.<\/p>\n
The FAA said it was proposing changes to definitions of when a flight abort is not mandatory and to clarify requirements and thresholds for when an abort \u2014 the early end of a launch or mission because of a problem \u2014 must occur. The FAA is proposing to revise rules for spacecraft breaking up as they fall to Earth and how space companies calculate the risks of falling space debris from those vehicles hitting people on the ground.<\/p>\n
The White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, up from 178 launches last year. Total launches last year were 10 times higher than in 2013, with SpaceX dominating the activity.<\/p>\n
The rule changes would make it easier for SpaceX and Blue Origin to get launch approvals. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
The FAA also said it is expanding its Office of Commercial Space Transportation workforce and naming an associate administrator, as well as hiring a team of aerospace engineers to speed launch approvals.<\/p>\n
That team “will conduct safety analysis, evaluations, and mission authorizations to accelerate application turnaround while keeping the public safe during space operations,” the FAA said.<\/p>\n
In October, the FAA proposed allowing operators to submit launch applications electronically, offering greater flexibility in demonstrating safe operations and combining three required safety analyses into \u200ba single submission.<\/p>\n
In July, the FAA \u2060proposed waiving \u200brequirements under several laws \u200bto simplify and expedite commercial space licensing.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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