FAA WORKS TO MODERNIZE COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH LICENSING
January 23, 2020
As an extension of its responsibilities for safety regulation of U.S. airspace, the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation supervises and licenses private sector outer space rocket launches and atmospheric re-entries for landing. As the commercial space sector grows and more business models are explored, the Trump Administration has pressed to streamline regulatory requirements and help private space companies grow. The Commercial Space Transportation Office’s Administrator announced at an event in Washington in December that licensing activity has increased over 1,000% in the past seven years; it is expected to grow similarly over the next five years. As a result, the Office has reorganized internally to streamline the number of staff who are required to work on approvals for each launch license. The FAA expects to propose new rules to further modernize the launch and reentry licensing process in the fall of 2020.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665).
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