The U.S. Senate on Jan. 1 confirmed Michael P. Huerta to serve a five-year term as the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Huerta, the FAA’s deputy administrator since 2010, has served as acting administrator since Randy Babbitt resigned in December 2011 following a drunk driving charge that was later dismissed. Huerta was formally nominated by President Barack Obama for the agency’s top job in March. The FAA’s responsibilities include the regulation and promotion of the U.S. commercial launch industry.