Watchdog: FAA Staffing Struggles Could Hinder Human Spaceflight

GAO audit reveals ongoing hiring challenges that could slow progress on licensing and oversight.

Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 09:46 PM ET

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Staffing problems within the FAA's commercial space office risk slowing down industry development, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. [Photo: The Bold Bureau/Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit revealed that the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) faces significant hiring challenges in filling specialized roles for human spaceflight oversight.
These staffing difficulties, combined with lengthy training requirements for new hires, could lead to delays in processing license applications and hinder the growth and economic health of the commercial human spaceflight industry.
The AST has consistently operated below authorized staffing levels for most of the past decade and has not fully implemented prior GAO recommendations from 2018 regarding strategic workforce management, such as skill gap assessments.

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An 18-month audit conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that hiring challenges at the FAA could hinder the growth of the human spaceflight industry.

The audit report, published Wednesday in response to a request from federal lawmakers, reviewed hiring policies within the agency’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) between August 2022 and February 2024.