Since 2009, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Space Adventures have been on the front lines of commercial space advancement. The companies have been running tests and experiments to develop an affordable way to bring people to space. Cost is certainly the largest factor for these companies. Although Dennis Tito can afford to pay $20 million for a trip to space, many people cannot. Thus, the goal is to reduce costs in order to make commercial space flight as available as possible to the masses. Although a Virgin Galactic ticket will cost $250,000, it is still only a fraction of what others have paid to experience the thrills of space travel (Carrington, 2013). Given space travel is still extremely intricate and demanding for many of these private sector agencies, delays and reliability remain in question. Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic predicted his commercial space operation would be running by 2010; he is know aiming for a 2016 debut (Jee, 2016). Beyond these lengthy delays and frivolous costs, safety remains at the forefront of challenges for commercial space flight. In October 2014, a Virgin Galactic spacecraft crashed, leaving one dead, and in June 2015, the SpaceX Falcon 9 was destroyed shortly after launch (Jee, 2016).
Regulation of commercial space endeavors has been relatively relaxed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relies on its Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) to issue permits for launches and to ensure that a spacecraft will not harm people on the ground or other craft in the air (Peterson, 2014). Andrea Peterson (2014) reveals that the AST does not certify the actual spacecraft or any other aspects of a given mission; its purpose is to ensure the safety of those on the ground. This is very different from how the FAA oversees commercial aviation activities. For instance, all aircraft, large and small, must be deemed airworthy by the FAA in order for them to legally operate. With the AST, commercial spacecraft are not required to be inspected or approved. Michael Listner of Space Law and Policy Solutions, notes, "Everybody is walking into unknown territory, and its difficult to regulate something you don't understand fully" (Davenport, 2015). The fact that commercial space flight is an "unknown endeavor," to the FAA may explain why they have had little regulatory influence over the past few years, even in the face of a fatality in 2014. As for those undertaking the risks of flying in space, the FAA is not considering those individuals passengers, but informed individuals who must be briefed on the risks and hazards of the journey they are about to undertake (Peterson, 2014).
If one is interested in piloting a commercial space craft, the requirements are not as rigorous as those to pilot fighter aircraft. Among various training requirements and the ability to withstand the stresses of space flight, the FAA only requires a space crew member to have an FAA pilot certificate and instrument rating ("Electronic Code," n.d.). Hence, a private pilot with an instrument rating capable of withstanding the forces of space and who undergoes the necessary training is eligible. Unfortunately, the major space agencies are recruiting some of the most experienced pilots in the industry. Virgin Galactic, for example, is poaching airline pilots from Virgin Atlantic (Belfiore, 2009). Michael Belfiore (2009) reveals that the hiring minimums at Virgin Galactic include 3,000 hours of flight time and ratings on a variety of aircraft; no height and weight limitations have been implemented.
I do not think commercial space flight is regulated enough. However, I think it is extremely difficult for the FAA to regulate. The FAA has essentially no experience with space flight. Thus, I feel that they should rely on the opinions and recommendations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to formulate regulations, especially for the certification of spacecraft. It is unacceptable to allow people to pay for a trip to space when they have no regulatory assurance that the craft will meet certain safety and reliability standards. Thus, commercial space craft should be treated the same as commercial aircraft; required to comply with very stringent FAA safety regulations in order to protect public interests.
Furthermore, I do not foresee the commercial space industry advancing into a widely available transportation medium. I do not think that the price per seat on-board a spacecraft will ever be affordable, even to the extremely wealthy. Although Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are working towards affordability, their target prices are still far more than many Americans make in a given year. It will take a very long time for a spacecraft to be developed and marketed at prices comparable to commercial air travel. Even spacecraft with $250,000 seat prices have yet to successfully complete their first missions. Inevitably, I feel that the commercial space industry will parallel the supersonic transportation fad. I feel that it will be too expensive to maintain, develop, and fall victim to technological limitations, economic hindrances, or devastating accidents.
References
Belfiore, M. (2009, February). License to thrill. Retrieved from
http://www.airspacemag.com/space/license-to-thrill-46607056/?no-ist
Carrington, D. (2013, August 16). What does a $250,000 ticket to
space with Virgin Galactic actually buy you? Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/travel/virgin-galactic-250000-ticket-to-space/
Davenport, C. (2015, November 24). Space tourism is closer to
taking off, but how should it be regulated? Retrieved from
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-thedownload-space-act-20151124-story.html
Electronic code of federal regulations. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=51e32cd954b2838b25f7eac146792f94&mc=true&node=se14.4.460_15&rgn=div8
Jee, C. (2016, February 19). Commercial space travel: A decade of
broken promises. Retrieved from
http://www.techworld.com/picture-gallery/personal-tech/space-tourism-decade-of-broken-promises-3630327/#9
Peterson, A. (2014, November 6). Manned commercial space flight:
The final unregulated frontier. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/11/06/manned-commercial-space-flight-the-final-unregulated-frontier/
Morgan, I think you made a very valid point and agree with it when you said that NASA should handle the regulations of spaceflight/tourism instead of the FAA. The FAA just doesn't have the kind of experience that NASA has on space travel. I also liked how you comapred space tourism to the supersonic jet fad because that is a very understandable outcome that will occur with space flight.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a good point about the little regulation that applies to space flight. I agree that it is very difficult to regulate especially since they do not have a lot of experience or knowledge on it. I think that it is important that they make sure that each space craft is tested and held to high standards to make sure they will provide safe flights especially if they were to have passengers on board. I think it would be a good idea for NASA to take over and create regulations or at least help the FAA out. I agree with you that this will probably not become a widely used form of transportation. I think it is way too expensive and there is not enough people who are willing to spend the money on it for companies to continue to provide this as a service. Majority of people cannot afford to buy a ticket and most likely will still not be able to afford to buy a ticket in the future if prices don’t drop significantly lower.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe commercial space flight will be here to stay I do agree that it does need to be regulated. And as you said, NASA being the most experienced should be the ones to recommend what should be done to the FAA to ensure safe travel. I think that space flight will grow the same as flight has in the past 100 years. People will say it can't be done and then eventually you have paying passengers who tag along. We'll see where it goes from here.
I have to agree that i do not foresee that commercial space transportation will advance into transportation medium. As the purpose of spaceflight are leisure and one time experience, instead of a method f transporting good and service.and the cost of the operation is way too high for general public to afford. I believe that most of the company are in the development and concept stage, so FAA does not want to put too much time and resource on regulating the industry.
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