FAA announces new record for commercial space operations in FY2024 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported a new record for licensed commercial space operations in the fiscal year 2024 – a total of 148, over 30% more than in 2023. 

In a press release published on November 14, 2024, the FAA suggested that this figure could more than double by the fiscal year of 2028. The number of FAA-licensed commercial operations has increased over 900% over the past 10 years, rising from 14 in 2015 to 148 in 2024. 

In the fiscal year 2024, the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation made 49 licensing actions. They included the granting of two new licenses, renewing a further 10 licenses and modifying another 37. The office also conducted 23 environmental reviews and performed 810 inspections.  

The FAA has issued seven Part 450 licenses to companies such as Astra Space, ABL Space, Inversion Space, Relativity Space, SpaceX, Stratolaunch and Varda Space. These licenses regulate commercial spaceflight operations, specifically launch and reentry activities. 

Additionally, the FAA has declared its intention to launch an Aerospace Rulemaking Committee made up of members from the commercial space industry and academia. This committee will focus on nine areas, including flight safety analyses, system safety and means of compliance, according to the press release. 

The committee’s main goal is to update the rule for FAA’s Part 450 licensing. The FAA stated that this rule was developed to “streamline the regulations, reduce the number of times an operator would need to come to the FAA for a license approval, and decrease the need for the FAA to process waivers”. 

“The FAA is seeking to update the licensing rule to foster more clarity, flexibility, efficiency, and innovation,” said Kelvin B. Coleman, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation. “Making timely licensing determinations without compromising public safety is a top priority.”  

The committee is expected to submit a report with recommended changes to the ‘Part 450 rule’ by the late summer of 2025.   The post FAA announces new record for commercial space operations in FY2024  appeared first on AeroTime.

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