FAA Eyes Changes to Orbital Debris Mitigation, Other Space Rules
A potential change to orbital debris mitigation rules by the FAA was included in the Trump administration's unified agenda of regulatory and deregulatory actions released last week (see 1712140057). The debris NPRM proposes to more closely align FAA rules with…
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U.S. government orbital debris mitigation standard practices, and would update current launch collision avoidance rules to match U.S. Strategic Command practices. The unified agenda also included an NPRM to clarify and streamline commercial space transportation rules, allowing specified preflight operations before license approval; to remove "obsolete, non-functional, and in some cases duplicative" ground safety regulations; and expand the term of a reusable launch vehicle license and re-entry operator license from two years to five years. It also included an NPRM codifying statutory requirements mandated by the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act such as updating definitions relating to commercial space launch and re-entry vehicles and occupants. The agency said it would enable commercial space applicants to retain experimental permits despite issuance of licenses. And the agenda included an NPRM on alignment of FAA commercial space requirements for protecting ships during launches or re-entries with Air Force practices.