FAA
Virgin Galactic flight wins praise from government and industry
While some question whether Virgin Galactic’s latest SpaceShipTwo test flight actually went into space, a number of government officials and industry organizations have few doubts that it did.
Industry concerned about fast pace of commercial launch regulatory reform
FAA officials said Oct. 31 that they’re on schedule to release a draft rule reforming commercial launch regulations, although some in industry are concerned that the work is going too quickly.
Commercial launch industry seeks updates on regulatory reform work
The commercial spaceflight industry expects to learn more this week on the status of regulatory reform efforts as well as progress on improving the integration of launches into the national airspace system.
International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight
The symposium is a dialog between the speakers and audience. Together we capture the growth, diversification and momentum of the commercial space industry at the time of the conference. Short powerful talks capture direction of the sectors focused…
Congress includes space provisions in FAA bill as industry seeks action on other regulatory issues
With Congress set to approve a Federal Aviation Administration bill with some commercial space provisions, those in the industry are hoping for action on other bills before the end of this year.
Virgin Orbit wins FAA license for first LauncherOne mission
Virgin Orbit has received a license from the Federal Aviation Administration for the first launch of its LauncherOne vehicle, which the company hopes to perform later this summer.
Hearing raises questions about pace of commercial launch regulatory overhaul
As the commercial launch industry seeks regulatory reforms to streamline the licensing process, other are raising concerns about a schedule that calls for those changes to be completed next year.
Cruz still studying what agency should oversee non-traditional commercial space missions
A key senator says he’s keeping an open mind regarding who in the federal government should have responsibility for the oversight of “non-traditional” commercial space activities.
Senate bill increases funding for FAA commercial space office but seeks regulatory reform
Senate appropriators offered a budget increase to the Federal Aviation Administration office that licenses commercial launches, while also calling on the office to streamline its regulatory processes.
Aireon partner invests $69 million in space-based aircraft tracking system
Aireon raised $69 million from a British partner, enabling the aircraft-tracking startup to begin making hosting payments to Iridium Communications.
FAA reauthorization bill boosts commercial space office
A reauthorization bill for the FAA passed by the House April 27 includes several provisions intended to support its commercial spaceflight activities, including a major increase in authorized spending levels.
Leidos bests Raytheon for FAA hosted payload contract
Defense and IT company Leidos triumphed over competitor Raytheon this week in a competition to build a hosted payload for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for honing GPS signals.
House committee advances two space bills
The House Science Committee favorably reported bills March 22 that would recognize a NASA center as a center of excellence in rocket propulsion and would resolve a commercial space regulatory issue.
Omnibus bill increases funding for NOAA weather satellite and space weather programs
A final fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill released March 21 fully funds two key weather satellite programs at NOAA while increasing funding for future weather satellites and space weather efforts.
Head of FAA commercial space office to retire
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, George Nield, will retire in March after nearly a decade in the job.
Regulatory reform to be a topic of next National Space Council meeting
When members of the National Space Council meet this week, they are expected to discuss, among other issues, regulatory reforms intended to promote growth of the commercial spaceflight industry.
