FAA Releases Updated Space Tourist Safety Recommendations

The recommendations are the first update from the agency since 2014 and cover design, manufacturing, and operations.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, October 02, 2023 at 01:48 PM ET

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Blue Origin’s orbital road to space at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: Blue Origin

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) issued updated recommendations to limit hazards for commercial space vehicle occupants, the first such update since 2014.
These 102-page recommendations span design, manufacturing, and operations, incorporating lessons from NASA's Commercial Crew program and recent commercial flights.
Key new recommendations include enhancing cybersecurity measures to prevent hacking and developing/using voluntary consensus standards for human space flight occupant safety.
This update is part of the FAA's broader efforts to regulate commercial human spaceflight safety, alongside proposed rules for limiting orbital debris and a committee examining future occupant safety regulations.

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The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) announced it has updated a list of recommendations aimed at limiting hazards that commercial space vehicle occupants could encounter, from preflight to landing.

The recommendations, which are the first since 2014, cover the gamut across design, manufacturing, and operations, and are based on lessons learned during the NASA Commercial Crew program, as well as recent commercial space fights, the FAA said Friday.