FAA incrementally ramping up commercial space operations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took another step in bolstering the nascent commercial space industry by granting $500,000 to fund projects that develop and expand the infrastructure for outer space transportation.
The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation will administer the new Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants program. The first matching grants include: $43,000 for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority to provide an Automated Weather Observing System; $227,195 to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation for a Rocket Motor Storage Facility; $125,000 to the East Kern Airport District in Mojave, Calif., for an emergency response vehicle; and, $104,805 to the Jacksonville Airport Authority in Florida to develop a Spaceport Master Plan for Cecil Field.
7 critical commercial spaceflight concerns the US must tackle
The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation is responsible for licensing, regulating and promoting the commercial-sector space industry. Since the office was created in 1984, the FAA has issued licenses for more than 200 launches, licensed the operation of eight FAA-approved launch sites known as spaceports, and has helped ensure that no loss of life or serious injury has been associated with these efforts.
The FAA in the past year has taken a variety of steps to bolster commercial space flight including:
- In April, the agency began setting up a central hub for the development of key commercial space transportation technologies such as space launch and traffic management applications and setting orbital safety standards. The hub, known as the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation would have a $1 million yearly budget and tie together universities, industry players and the government for cost-sharing research and development. The FAA expects the center to be up and running this year.
- In November the FAA said it would streamline the environmental review part of permit applications for the launch and/or reentry of reusable suborbital rockets to help bolster a fledgling commercial space market.
Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8
Layer 8 Extra
Check out these other hot stories:
FTC slams shut telephone cramming scam
Too little too late? China’s “rare earth” threat prompts US action
Astronomers discover planet that could support life
Worlds collide: Apple iPhone app manages mainframe
MIT researchers tout network intrusion recovery system
NASA takes 2,000lb heart of space telescope on extreme test ride
Smart “E-shirt” monitors your body, helps get your game on
FTC settles privacy violation claims with online data broker
Martian meteorite grabs NASA Mars rover’s attention
Air Force teams to build radiation-proof chips for outer space systems
