FAA Readies to Regulate Commercial Human Spaceflight Safety

The existing Congressional prohibition on regulating commercial human spaceflight is set to expire in October.

Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 03:46 PM ET

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The FAA's 25-member rulemaking committee includes representatives from the FAA and industry, including Virgin Galactic, Boeing, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. Here, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule stand ready for launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early 2023. [Photo: Axiom Space]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has launched a rulemaking committee to examine and develop recommendations for future occupant safety regulations in commercial space flights.
This initiative responds to the growing commercial space industry and precedes the October expiration of a Congressional prohibition on enacting such safety regulations.
The committee, including representatives from the FAA and major space companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, is expected to submit its recommendations next summer to inform a new regulatory regime.

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The recent rise in commercial space flights is prompting the FAA to take new steps related to passenger safety.

The agency has launched a rulemaking committee to examine the cost and development of possible future regulations related to occupant safety during commercial space flights, it announced Thursday. The 25-member committee includes representatives from the FAA and industry, including Virgin Galactic, Boeing, SpaceX, and Blue Origin.