Avionics News April 2021 - 41

to launch dozens or even hundreds of small satellites on
one rocket. SpaceX has been particularly successful in this
area, launching over 100 satellites on one rocket.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports almost
400 licensed launches, 23 licensed reentries, 12 spaceport
operator licenses, and 46 permitted (experimental)
launches to date.
Current regulatory framework
The FAA gained authorization over commercial space
launch in the 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act, which
authorized the secretary of transportation to oversee,
license, and regulate commercial launch and
reentry activities, and the operation of
launch and reentry sites within the U.S.
or as conducted by U.S. citizens.
The Act also required the
secretary to encourage, facilitate
and promote commercial
space transportation while
ensuring safety of the public
and property. The FAA seeks
to ensure protection of national
security and foreign policy
interests of the U.S. during
commercial launch or reentry
activities.
The FAA published new rules
regarding commercial space launch
operations and aircraft manufacturing in late
2020 to advance those goals. The Streamlined Launch and
Reentry Licensing Requirements final rule combines four
other regulatory parts and provides a single set of licensing
and safety regulations for all commercial space launch
vehicles. Regulations also address commercial space
launch operators and spaceport and launch operations
licenses.
Specifically, the new Part 450 allows for:
*	 A single operator's license to support multiple
launches or reentries from potentially multiple
launch site locations.
*	 A smoother, more streamlined application process in
which applicants may:
◦	 Submit portions of their license application
incrementally for early FAA review.
◦	 Negotiate mutually agreeable reduced time
frames for submittal and review periods.
*	 Additional flexibility on how to demonstrate highconsequence event protection.
*	 Neighboring operations personnel to stay during
launch or reentry in certain circumstances.

*	

Ground safety oversight to be scoped appropriately
to fit identified safety risks and reduce duplicative
requirements when operating at a federal site.
Importantly, the rules replace prescriptive regulations
with performance-based rules and grants the industry
flexibility to develop means of compliance most
appropriate for their goals while maintaining public safety.
These new rules respond to changes in technology and
commercial needs, allowing flexibility and efficiencies in
launch operations and faster approval of design changes.
" Regulators realized the need to revamp the commercial
launch regime to account for new commercial launch
technologies coming into the market, " said the
source. " Space operators need fast, reliable
means to get into space. "
Commercial opportunities
Several industries will benefit
from the streamlined regulatory
framework. Communications
companies have historically
been the main players in the
commercial space industry, but
the value proposition of data
gleaned from space is improving
significantly as technology,
particularly imaging spatial and
temporal resolution, improves, with higher
revisit rates over a given point on Earth.
" Communications have always been
the bedrock of the commercial space industry, " the
government source explained. " That said, the applications
side of the industry is what is really taking off and driving
commercial innovation right now. "
For example, an electric company can use satellite
imaging to identify damaged power lines after a storm.
Businesses can use satellite images to analyze business
by counting cars in the parking lot. Other small satellites
monitor the effects of climate change and allow for faster,
more-accurate assessment of damage after natural disasters.
The full potential of satellites in communications has yet
to be realized. Only a little more than half of the world's
population currently has access to the internet. It's easy to
envision how universal internet access could revolutionize
health care, education and commerce around the globe.
Smallsats in mega-constellations will eventually provide
low-cost, low-latency internet to underserved and unserved
areas of the world, connecting millions.

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