By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) – The US Federal Aviation Administration proposed on Thursday 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.
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 — the early end of a launch or mission because of a problem — 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Last month, the FAA proposed allowing operators to submit launch applications electronically, offering greater flexibility in demonstrating safe operations and combining three required safety analyses into a single submission.
In July, the FAA proposed waiving requirements under several laws to simplify and expedite commercial space licensing.
(Reporting by David Shepardson;Editing by Rod Nickel)
