News Items

This topic is the place to post and discuss news items about regulations of private launch vehicles.

Here are some recent articles to get us started:

1. "FAA Regulatory Logjam Stifles Private Rocketeers"
http://www.space.com/news/faa_logjam_030716.html

2. "Rocket Industry Leaders Look to Congress to Solve Regulatory Logjam at FAA" (Press Release)
http://www.xcor.com/FAA-regulatory-logjam.html

3. "Suborbital Institute Praises Senate Bill"
http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archiv ... #July.8.03 (scroll down to the July 4 news item)

4. "Scaled Composites Files Application For SpaceShipOne Launch License"
http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/c ... p07033.xml

You may want to check out what is going on at the Hill today:

Hearing On Commerical Human Space Flight
http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/s ... harter.pdf

As well as some testimony from the participants.

For example, Elon Musk of SpaceX:

http://www.senate.gov/%7Ecommerce/heari ... it_id=2460

Cheers,
Patrick

One of the more interesting parts of the entire hearing was Dennis Tito's comments about investing in the commercial human spacelight industry:

"Two years ago, when I testified before the House Science Committee, I was asked if I would invest in a reusable launch vehicle company. At the time I said 'no', and that was the right answer… then. But today, after talking to thousands of people who want to fly into space and seeing the progress that’s been made, my answer would be different. Today I would say 'quite possibly.'
"There is, however, one barrier that keeps me – and probably many others – from writing out a check..."

Of course, he is referring to the debate over who will regulate this industry.

So if the regulatory issues are cleared up, we may see another rich man -Tito - pouring his money into this sector, just as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and John Carmack already are. And that would be quite cool.

Fine. Bloody marvelous. But, Gospodin Adminstrator, "quite cool" does not say where you stand on who's to regulate spaceflight.

Basically, if NASA wasn't possessed of a Federal charter for its existance ( and grandfathered in by the NACA ... remember Vannevar Bush, the nekulturny apparatchik that was quoted as to saying that Americans ought to forget ballistic missiles and moonflight? He was NACA's administrator.)
its management would be explaining itself to the Supremes for MULTIPLE violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Time to get all the paper pushers and nomenklaturen that have flourished in NASA, revoke the charter, hand off the military applications to the Air Force or Navy, and start selling off assets to private firms.

When launching from this country's airspace, DOT and FAA hold suzerain to 100 KM. After that, open range.

But that's just me.

Cancer