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) updated its recommendations for limiting hazards to occupants of commercial space vehicles, the first such update since 2014.
These updated recommendations cover design, manufacturing, and operations, drawing lessons from NASA's Commercial Crew program and recent commercial space flights.
Key recommendations include enhancing cybersecurity measures for critical vehicle functions and developing voluntary consensus standards for human spaceflight occupant safety.
This update is part of broader FAA efforts to regulate commercial space safety, following a proposed rule on orbital debris and the formation of a committee to explore 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.