Ready for Lift Off
FAA adds spaceports to sectional aeronautical charts to increase pilot safety and airspace awareness.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) added space launch activity areas to the sectional aeronautical charts. Sectional charts are the primary navigational reference used by pilots operating small to medium-sized aircraft under visual flight rules (VFR). The addition of space launch activity areas to the charts follows recent growth in demand for commercial space transportation and coincides with FAA’s ongoing efforts to increase pilot safety and airspace awareness.
What are space launch activity areas?
Symbolized by a rocket symbol on sectional charts, these areas indicate where space launch and reentry activity occurs around the nation. In some instances, a rocket symbol may represent more than one launch or reentry site due to proximity. Pilots can download sectional charts and reference the FAA Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide to learn more about recent updates and how to interpret the charts.
What is FAA’s Role in Space?
The U.S. space program is divided into three sectors: civil (NASA), military (Department of Defense), and commercial (FAA-licensed). FAA plays a crucial role in commercial space by protecting public safety during launch and reentry operations and ensuring regulations are followed in all phases of licensed operations.
The FAA Office of Spaceports was established in 2018 as a part of its Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) to develop policies that strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. spaceports and promote infrastructure improvements. The agency’s Office of Operational Safety, also a part of AST, is responsible for licensing commercial space launch and reentry activities. Listen to FAA’s Ticket to Space podcast to learn more about the agency’s role in commercial space transportation.
What is a spaceport?
A spaceport is a site where launch or reentry activities occur. While a spaceport may seem like a futuristic notion from an episode of The Jetsons, they’ve existed in the U.S. for years. In 1996, FAA issued the first commercial spaceport operator license to Harris Corporation at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first commercial launch in the U.S. occurred years before in 1989, when a Starfire sub-orbital vehicle carried aloft the Consort-1 payload from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
How does FAA notify pilots about upcoming space activity?
Prior to any space launch or reentry activity, the agency works closely with commercial spaceports and vehicle launch operators to issue temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) and other types of NOTAMs to divert conventional aircraft and other users of the national airspace system (NAS). “FAA has updated the space launch activity areas on sectionals to increase awareness of spaceports and increase the safety of national airspace. Pilots should continue to read NOTAMs and TFRs for the most up-to-date information,” said Pam Underwood, FAA’s Director of the Office of Spaceports. Pilots should be aware when traveling through space launch activity areas and check the NOTAM database ahead of flights.
Where are commercial spaceports located in the U.S.?
There are currently 12 commercial spaceports licensed by FAA, located in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia (see map below). Three of these sites allow for traditional, vertical take-offs. Eight others allow for horizontal launches, where a space vehicle is attached to a carrier aircraft and launched while airborne. New Mexico’s Spaceport America is the only FAA-licensed site that supports both vertical and horizontal launches. Spaceport Florida is the only site licensed for both launch and reentry operations.
Who needs a commercial space license or permit?
FAA requires a license or permit for any commercial space launch or reentry activity conducted by a U.S. entity inside or outside of the U.S. U.S. government entities are not required to obtain a license from the FAA when carrying out space activities for the government, such as some NASA and the Department of Defense launches.
FAA recently issued the streamlined launch and reentry rule (SLR2), which removes obsolete requirements and increases regulatory flexibility around commercial space launch and reentry activities. Under the new rule, commercial launch vehicle operators can use a single license for multiple launches from multiple launch sites. Once issued, licenses are valid for up to five years from the date of issuance.
Companies can also obtain an experimental permit for the launch of a suborbital vehicle from the U.S. for research and development purposes (not for compensation or hire). While FAA has up to 180 days to make a license determination, a permit offers an expedited approval timeline of 120 days from the date of application acceptance.
Are commercial space operations increasing?
The number of FAA-licensed launches has increased from only one in 2011, to a record 39 in 2020. FAA has forecasted more than 50 FAA-licensed operations (launches and reentries) for 2021. The numbers could reach 100 or more annually in the not-too-distant future once space tourism takes off.
To date, FAA has licensed and permitted more than 450 commercial space launches and reentries. During that time there have been no fatalities, serious injuries, or significant property damage to members of the uninvolved public. You can follow FAA-licensed space activity and recently issued permits and licenses on the FAA commercial space data dashboard.
How does FAA integrate space operations in the National Airspace System (NAS)?
FAA is testing and deploying new technologies and procedures to further enable the safe and efficient integration of commercial space operations with other types of air traffic in the NAS. The agency’s goal is to safely reduce the amount of restricted airspace in advance of a space operation, while quickly responding to contingencies and releasing airspace as soon as possible. FAA is working toward a future where airspace can be managed dynamically to enable routine access to low-Earth orbit and beyond in the NAS.
Learn more about the Office of Commercial Space Transportation at https://www.faa.gov/space/.
