Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Space Integration into the National Airspace System Concept of Operations May 2020 Commercial Space Integration into the National Airspace System (CSINAS) Concept of Operations This document was developed in collaboration with key representatives from the following organizations: Air Traffic Organization (ATO), Office of Commercial Space (AST), Office of Airports (ARP), and Office of NextGen (ANG). For more information, please contact: Name: Matt Modderno Organizational Code: ANG-C5 Phone Number: 202-267-5151 Email address: [email protected] 1 Abstract This Concept of Operations (ConOps) is an update to the Space Vehicle Operations (SVO) ConOps, Version 1.1, 2014. It evolves the concepts put forth in that document for managing that National Airspace System (NAS) during commercial launch and reentry vehicle operations. The NAS is defined as the following: The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports or landing areas; aeronautical charts, information and services; rules, regulations and procedures, technical information, and manpower and material. Included are system components shared jointly with the military1. Air traffic services (ATS) in U.S. are provided over the domestic U.S. and within. In the airspace over the contiguous U.S. and out to 12 nautical miles (NM) from the U.S. shores, domestic air traffic control (ATC) separation is applied (with certain limitations) along with additional services (e.g., traffic advisories, bird activity information, weather and chaff information, etc.). The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has also delegated some high seas airspace to the United States (U.S.) for the provision of ATS. ATS in U.S. delegated “Oceanic” (certain areas of the western half of the North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the North Pacific ) airspace are provided in accordance with (IAW) FAA Orders congruent with ICAO PANS ATM doc 4444. Depending on available CNS capabilities, ATS provided in oceanic airspace differs from services provided in domestic (continental) airspace.2 Discussions in this concept do not address Department of Defense (DoD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or other government agency launches. Since the NAS is a shared public resource managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an approach to equitably allocating NAS resources (particularly airspace) must be developed. Launch/reentry vehicles traverse the NAS relatively quickly due to their speeds and flight profiles. The FAA has traditionally used airspace segregation, characterized by relatively large volumes of airspace and large time windows, to protect other NAS users from the hazards associated with potential off- nominal events. Even as the frequency of launch/reentry operations has increased, this approach persists due to current planning and real-time shortfalls. As a result, today’s methods contribute to inefficiencies for other NAS users, including reroutes, delays, longer flight times, and additional fuel burn leading to increases in operating costs. Benefits from implementing this ConOps include improved NAS efficiency through a reduction of delays, reduced route deviations, reduced fuel burn, and reduced emissions. For launch/reentry operators, benefits include increased operations availability from more sites. Implementing this ConOps will also provide a strategy toward more efficient and predictable operations for all airspace users, through improved planning and situational awareness among stakeholders. 1 FAA Aeronautical Information Manual Pilot/Controller Glossary (03.29.18). 2 Federal Register/Vol. 80, No. 126/Wednesday, July 1, 2015/Notices, pg. 37710, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration [Docket No. FAA-2015-1497; Airspace Docket No. 15-AWA-4], RIN 2120-AA66 Designation of Oceanic Airspace 2 Contents 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 8 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Challenges of Integrating Launch/Reentry Operations into the NAS ................................................. 9 1.3 Primary Development Organizations ................................................................................................ 10 1.3.1 Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of NextGen (ANG) ..................................................... 10 1.3.2 Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space (AST) ....................................... 10 1.3.3 Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) ............................................. 11 1.3.4 Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Airports (ARP) ....................................................... 11 1.4 Guiding Principles for Development of CSINAS ConOps ................................................................... 11 1.4.1 Phased Approach to Integration ................................................................................................ 12 1.4.2 Flexibility .................................................................................................................................... 12 1.4.3 Emphasis on Collaboration ........................................................................................................ 13 1.4.4 Minimized Impacts on Other NAS Users .................................................................................... 13 1.4.5 Environmental Considerations ................................................................................................... 13 1.4.6 Data Exchange and Information is Essential for Success ........................................................... 14 1.5 Remaining Document Organization .................................................................................................. 14 2 – Current Operations and Capabilities ..................................................................................................... 16 2.1 –Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.1 NAS Users ................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.2 FAA Organization Support .......................................................................................................... 17 2.2 – Current Operational Environment and Infrastructure ................................................................... 18 2.2.1 – Types of Launch and Reentry Operations ............................................................................... 18 2.2.2 – Airspace Management ............................................................................................................ 20 2.3 – Description of Current Operations ................................................................................................. 21 2.3.1 – Pre-operational Planning (includes long- and short-term planning) ...................................... 21 2.3.2 – Real-Time Operations ............................................................................................................. 24 2.3.3 – Post-operations Review and Analysis ..................................................................................... 24 2.4 Current Launch Sites, Reentry Sites, and Dual-use Airports ............................................................. 25 2.4.1 –Definition of Launch Sites and Reentry Sites ........................................................................... 26 2.4.2 – Dual-use Airports .................................................................................................................... 26 2.4.3 – Dual-use Airport Regulation .................................................................................................... 27 2.5 – Environmental Review for Commercial Space License or Permit Applicants ................................ 28 3 2.5.1 National Environmental Policy Act ............................................................................................ 29 2.5.2 Types of Environmental Reviews ............................................................................................... 29 2.6 – Current Safety Procedures, Review, and Approval Considerations ............................................... 29 2.6.1 AST Safety Review and Approval for Launch or Reentry Licenses ............................................. 29 2.6.2 AST Safety Approvals Separate from Traditional Licensing ....................................................... 30 3 Need for the Commercial Space Integration in the NAS ConOps ............................................................ 31 3.1 System Shortfalls ............................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Addressing Shortfalls with the CSINAS Concept of Operations ........................................................ 32 4 Commercial Space Integration Future Operations .................................................................................. 34 4.1 Assumptions and Constraints ........................................................................................................... 34 4.1.1