Most US pilots probably don’t know that an FAA license is required to conduct any kind of commercial space launch or reentry within the United States. Last year, the agency office that issues these permits said it was busier than ever, with 41 commercial space operations launches and reentries. One launch in May, a SpaceX Falcon 9, carried two US astronauts from the Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station. The flight was the first US launch of a crewed vehicle in a decade.
FAA Says 2020 A Record Year for Space Launches
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA requires a license for commercial space launches and reentries in the U.S., handling a record 41 operations last year, including the first U.S. crewed launch in a decade.
- A recent reorganization of the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation and a new rule have modernized licensing by creating a single, performance-based regime to improve efficiency and foster industry innovation.
- For 2021, the FAA plans to test new technologies for integrating space-vehicle operations with air traffic and establish a working group to develop a National Spaceport Strategy.
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