NASA and FAA’s recent decision to further collaborate on advancing the nation’s commercial space transportation capabilities, including commercial crew and cargo activities, is a vital step in continuing innovation and safety in commercial space arena.
The move once again underlines the outgoing Administration’s stress on US leadership in commercial space – which the new Administration is expected to continue and build upon — and follows the success of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 launch, the first crewed mission from American soil to be licensed by the FAA.
The fine lines
The partnership can be seen in line with the objectives of the multiple US space policies that came in place in the past few years, including the pace Policy Directives 1 (harnessing the power of the private industry in space), 2 (streamlining regulations around commercial use of space), and 3 (space situational awareness and space traffic management), and the 2020 National Space Policy that was unveiled in December.
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“NASA is now flying commercial cargo and crew missions to the International Space Station, and soon we will send more people and science to space on new suborbital flights,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “Our partnership with the FAA will support the growth of American commercial aerospace capabilities that will benefit NASA, the nation, and the entire world.”
In one way, the partnership reaffirms the existing relationship between the two agencies to forward their “complimentary and interdependent” interests in fostering America’s commercial space transportation capabilities. Under the new agreement, the agencies will build a safe and cost-effective framework for commercial launch and space travel, including transportation of passengers, cargo and other payloads, for orbital and suborbital missions. The intent is also to streamline spaceflight standards and requirements.
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Since FAA is responsible for regulations that govern commercial space launch and re-entry licensing, the collaboration also entails licensing of orbital and suborbital flights, facilitating new innovations, and advancing point-to-point commercial suborbital pilot programs.
“The partnership between the FAA and NASA is vital to continue the growth, innovation and safety of commercial space operations, and maintain the pre-eminence of US leadership in the aerospace sector,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said.
It is interesting that the agreement builds upon the existing collaborations between the two agencies, including FAA and NASA’s Flight Opportunities program that helped to develop a framework for flying researchers from industry and academia on commercial suborbital flights. The agencies are also collaborating on commercial suborbital spaceflight activities through the Commercial Crew Program’s Suborbital Crew (SubC) as part of their efforts to extend suborbital space transportation capabilities for NASA astronauts and other NASA personnel.
