Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets About FAA/AST
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Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation February 2005 Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets About FAA/AST About the Office of Commercial Space Transportation The Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) licenses and regulates U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activity, as well as the operation of non-federal launch and reentry sites, as authorized by Executive Order 12465 and Title 49 United States Code, Subtitle IX, Chapter 701 (formerly the Commercial Space Launch Act). FAA/AST’s mission is to ensure public health and safety and the safety of property while protecting the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial launch and reentry operations. In addition, FAA/AST is directed to encour- age, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries. Additional information concerning commercial space transportation can be found on FAA/AST’s web site at http://ast.faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration/Office of Commercial Space Transportation i About FAA/AST Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets NOTICE Use of trade names or names of manufacturers in this document does not constitute an official endorsement of such products or manufacturers, either expressed or implied, by the Federal Aviation Administration. ii Federal Aviation Administration/Office of Commercial Space Transportation Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets Contents Table of Contents Introduction . .1 Markets . .1 Vehicles . .2 Spaceports . .2 Recent Events in Commercial Suborbital Spaceflight . .3 2003 . .3 2004 . .3 Suborbital Markets - An Overview . .7 SRLV Emerging Markets . .7 Tourism and Adventure Travel . .7 Science and High-Speed Research . .9 Microsatellite Orbital Insertion . .10 Microgravity Research . .10 Media, Advertising, and Sponsorship . .10 Hardware Qualification . .11 Commercial Remote Sensing . .12 Military Surveillance . .12 Space Diving . .13 SRLV Long-Term Markets . .13 Fast Package Delivery . .13 High-Speed Aerospace Transportation . .14 Launch Company Profiles . .17 Acceleration Engineering . .17 Advent Launch Services . .17 American Astronautics . .17 Armadillo Aerospace . .18 Beyond-Earth Enterprises . .18 High Altitude Research Corporation . .19 Masten Space Systems . .19 Micro-Space . .20 PanAero, Inc. .20 Rocketplane Ltd. .21 Scaled Composites . .21 Space Transport Corporation . .23 SpaceDev . .23 TGV Rockets . .24 Vanguard Spacecraft . .24 XCOR Aerospace . .24 Space Tourism Company Profiles . .27 Incredible Adventures . .27 Space Adventures . .27 Virgin Galactic . .27 Federal Aviation Administration/Office of Commercial Space Transportation iii Contents Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets Spaceports . .29 FAA Licensed Spaceports . .29 Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport . .29 Mojave Civilian Flight Test Center . .30 Proposed Spaceports Seeking an FAA License . .31 Oklahoma Spaceport . .31 Texas Spaceports . .32 Appendix: A Brief History of Major U.S. Suborbital Vehicles . .33 The WAC-Corporal (1944-1950) . .33 The V-2 (1945-1952) . .33 The Bumper-WAC (1948-1952) . .34 The Viking (1946-1957).