FAA announces record commercial space operations in fiscal year 2024

On November 15, 2024By Pranco

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported a new record for licensed commercial space operations in fiscal year 2024 – a total of 148, up more than 30% from 2023.

In a press release published on November 14, 2024, the FAA suggested that this figure could more than double by fiscal year 2028. The number of FAA-licensed commercial operations has increased by more than 900% over the past decade, from 14 in 2028 in 2015 to 148 in 2024.

In fiscal year 2024, the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation conducted 49 permit actions. They include the granting of two new permits, the extension of a further 10 permits and the amendment of a further 37 permits. The agency also conducted 23 environmental assessments and conducted 810 inspections.

The FAA has issued seven Part 450 licenses to companies such as Astra Space, ABL Space, Inversion Space, Relativity Space, SpaceX, Stratolaunch and Varda Space. These licenses govern commercial spaceflight operations, particularly launch and reentry activities.

In addition, the FAA has expressed its intention to establish an Aerospace Rulemaking Committee composed of members from the commercial space industry and academia. This committee will focus on nine areas, including flight safety analyses, system safety and compliance resources, according to the press release.

The committee’s main goal is to update the rule for FAA’s Part 450 licenses. The FAA stated that this rule was developed to “streamline regulations, reduce the number of times an operator must come to the FAA for license approval, and reduce the need for the FAA to process waivers.”