Commercial Human Spaceflight Safety Regulations (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Nov. 21, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12508 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Rachel Lindbergh |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Department of Transportation (DOT), acting through
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has regulatory
authority over commercial space launch and reentry,
including for spacecraft with human occupants. The FAA’s
authority allows it to regulate the safety of human
occupants, but a statutory moratorium—or learning
period—limits its ability to do so until January 1, 2025.
This In Focus identifies considerations for Congress as the
end of the statutory learning period approaches.
Currently, private companies hope to create a market for
commercial human spaceflight. In addition to contracts with
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) to support federal missions, companies such as
SpaceX plan to transport private citizens into space. Other
companies such as Axiom Space are developing orbital
platforms with the intent to host both government
astronauts and tourists in space. Virgin Galactic and Blue
Origin have carried tourists on suborbital launches, and
SpaceX has launched both government astronauts and space
tourists to the International Space Station.
No commercial spaceflight mission has yet resulted in a
fatality of a tourist or government astronaut. However, an
atmospheric test flight of a crewed commercial spacecraft
in 2014 resulted in the death of one pilot and injuries to
another. Several uncrewed commercial launches have failed
in the past decade. Given the potential risks, oversight for
these missions may be an area of continued congressional
concern.
