sign in sign up
<<
Home , Palmachim Airbase, Sea Launch, Semnan Space Center

U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Regulations

Presented to the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Scientific and Technical Subcommittee

By

Di Reimold FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) 30 January 2018 Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration Statutory Authority

51 U. S. C. Chapter 509 (formerly the Commercial Act of 1984, as amended) • Authorizes the FAA* to license commercial launch and reentry activities and the operation of launch and reentry sites as carried out by U.S. citizens or within the . • Directs the FAA to: • Exercise this responsibility consistent with public health and safety, safety of property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, and • Encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector. * The Secretary of Transportation’s licensing authority has been delegated to the Administrator of the FAA and further assigned to the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST).

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 2 Regulations for Licensing • An entity must obtain a license: • To launch a from the United States; • To operate a launch site within the United States; • To reenter a reentry vehicle in the United States; or • To operate a reentry site within the United States. • A U.S. citizen or an entity organized under the laws of the United States or any State must obtain a license: • To launch a launch vehicle outside the United States; • To operate a launch site outside of the United States; • To reenter a reentry vehicle outside of the United States; or • To operate a reentry site outside of the United States.

• FAA does not license launches or reentries “the Government carries out for the Government” • NASA and DOD typically carry out their own launches. • US Government has an option to choose commercial launch services

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 3 FAA License Process Overview

Pre-application Consultation Evaluation Launch/Reentry Ops

Environmental Review Monitoring

Policy Review

Payload Review

Financial Responsibility

Public Safety Review Safety Inspection

National Airspace System (NAS) Integration

FAA has 180 days to respond to a “complete enough” application for a license, 120 days for a permit

4 Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 4 Potential Regulatory Path

Moratorium Expires, Routine Mission Industry Standards Commercial Space Certificates Developed Travel Assurance • Production • Airworthiness • Air Carrier • Pilot Occupant Occupant • Instruction Safety Safety • Mechanic • Dispatch • Parts Public Public Public Safety Safety Safety

Current Future FAA Certification Time FAA Licensing Licensing of Human Spaceflight

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 5 U.S. Commercial/Government/Private Active and Proposed Launch Sites

Poker Flat Research ∗ Range

• Pacific Complex Alaska Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Spaceport • Mojave Air and Space Port Wallops Flight Key • • Facility • FAA-Licensed Edwards AFB Spaceport Non-Federal Launch Site America • Oklahoma Spaceport U.S. Federal Launch Site Vandenberg Cecil Field ∗ Owned by University of AFB • Midland Spaceport Alaska Geophysical • Spaceport Institute White Sands ∗ ∗ • -Kennedy Space ∗ Sole Site Operator Missile Range McGregor Center • • Houston Spaceport -Cape Canaveral Blue Origin Air Force Station Launch Site SpaceX Spaceport Florida Platform ∗ Launch Site Equatorial Pacific Ocean (under construction)

Reagan Test Site Other spaceports have been proposed for: Alabama, Colorado, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands Georgia, and Hawaii. February 2016

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 6 Existing and Proposed Global Spaceports

Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska (US) Sohae Poker Flat (US) Andoya () Kiruna (Sweden) ()

Oklahoma Plesetsk () Front Range Spaceport (US) Vostochny Musudan-ri Spaceport Dombarovsky (Russia) (North Korea) Mojave ; (Russia) Air and Space Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (US) Baikonur (Russia) Tanegashima Port (US) (Japan) Jiuquan Taiyuan Pacific Missile Cecil Spaceport (US) AFB (China) Uchinoura (China) Range Facility () (Japan) ; Xichang (US) Vandenberg · Cape Canaveral AFS; (China) Naro AFB; Semnan Spaceport Florida (US) Abu Dhabi (South Korea) California () Wenchang Roosevelt Roads (Puerto Rico) (UAE) Spaceport (China) (US) Spaceport Curacao (Curacao) Satish Dhawan Space Kona Houston Guiana Space Center Center (India) Spaceport Midland Spaceport (Fr. Guiana) Spaceport Spaceport (US) America; (US) Shiloh Spaceport (US) Singapore Spaceport Reagan Test White Sands Brownsville (Singapore) Site, Missile Range (US) Kwajalein (US) Atoll (US) Woomera (Australia)

New Zealand Key Spaceport Existing Orbital Spaceport (NZ) Proposed Orbital Spaceport Proposed Suborbital Spaceport Existing Suborbital Spaceport

Source: FAA July 2016

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation February 2017 | 7 FAA-Licensed and Permit Launches 1989 - 2017

275 FAA-licensed launches 1989 - 2017 (145 GEO, 106 NGSO, 24 Suborbital) 44 Permit launches 2006 – 2017 (all suborbital) Includes 58 launches for U.S. Government (NASA [ISS], NOAA, DOD, others) Source: FAA/AST January 2018

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 8 Expanding Commercial Capabilities

Virgin Galactic Sierra Nevada Corp USA

Blue Origin Orbital Sciences ATK SpaceX

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 9 FAA/AST International Goals

• The 2013 National Space Transportation Policy directs the Secretary of Transportation and other appropriate agencies to: • “Advocate internationally for the adoption of United States Government safety regulations, standards, and licensing measures to enhance global interoperability and safety of international commercial space transportation activities.” • The FAA is promoting its commercial space transportation regulations for adoption by other countries—the goals of AST’s outreach are to: 1) Assist U.S. industry activity outside the United States; 2) Provide U.S. international leadership; 3) Establish international relationships; and 4) Prepare for future interoperability between countries

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 10 ICAO / UN OOSA Space Learning Group (SLG) Background and Milestones • SLG establishes Terms of Reference • SLG assessment of mid- term and long-term • Group name changes issues to: Suborbital Commercial Spaceflight International Civil • *ICAO and UNOOSA Learning Group (SCSLG) Aviation Organization establish series of aerospace symposia, • *3rd Symposium - UN and collaborate on SLG Report on Commercial Space Transportation • *1st Symposium - educational forum • Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium *2015 *2017 2018+ • State2014 letter - “Survey on *2016 Suborbital Commercial • *2nd Symposium - • Deliver “High-level Space Transportation ICAO President Operational Vision and Airspace identifies pressing Document” by Q1 or Q2 Integration” issues that need to be United Nations addressed in the near • 13th Air Navigation International Civil Office of Outer term Conference • Space Learning Group Aviation Organization Space Affairs “SLG” organized

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 11 Future Challenges, Considerations and New Markets

• DOT/FAA may be a logical regulatory authority for: • New “non-traditional” commercial space activity in new markets such as: orbital habitats, on- servicing, lunar surface activity, asteroid mining, circumlunar, Mars missions • U.S. Space Traffic Management • Congress passed the “U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act” in 2015 (PL 114-90) • Contains requirement for 12 reports from multiple government agencies due to Congress including 6 led by FAA. Report areas include: • Mission Authority, Orbital Traffic Management, Space Situational Awareness and Safety Data, Industry Standards, Space Resource Utilization, Transition to Safety-Focused Framework, Range Streamlining, Space Support Vehicles, and Maximum Probable Loss methodology. • New legislation, protections and authorities may be needed • Flexibility of government to support this dynamic industry • Retaining focus on safety and efficiency of ANY transport mode

Federal Aviation Administration AST Commercial Space Transportation January 2018 | 12