Gerald Dillingham
Published: 2015-02-20
Total Pages: 56
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The U.S. commercial space launch industry has changed considerably since the enactment of the commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is required to license or permit commercial space launches, but to allow the space tourism industry to develop, the act prohibited FAA from regulating crew and spaceflight participant safety before 2012 -- a moratorium that was later extended but expired on September 30, 2015. Since October 2014, there have been three mishaps involving FAA licensed or permitted launches. This report addresses (1) changes in the industry over the last decade; (2) FAA challenges in addressing industry developments; and (3) FAA's launch licensing workload and budget. Tables and figure. This is a print on demand report.