U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford celebrated a significant achievement for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as it marked its 1,000th commercial space operation. This milestone underscores over 35 years of the FAA's commitment to safety and advancement in space exploration.
"The 1,000th FAA-licensed commercial space operation is a major milestone—one that showcases American innovation as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in the final frontier," said Secretary Duffy. He emphasized the collaborative efforts between the FAA and NASA to foster a robust U.S. commercial space industry, highlighting benefits such as job creation, technological progress, and economic opportunities.
In line with this development, President Trump recently signed an executive order titled "Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry" aimed at boosting American innovation. The FAA is taking steps to ensure public safety while reducing regulatory constraints to accommodate growing industry demands.
"The FAA is dedicated to providing safe, efficient, and timely access to space, helping ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in space transportation, innovation, and safety," said Administrator Bedford. He credited the dedicated commercial space team for making each launch and reentry possible and projected that at this pace, another 1,000 missions could be achieved within five years.
The FAA's implementation of the Part 450 license rule aims to streamline processes by allowing multiple operations under one license approval, thus reducing administrative costs for operators. Currently, seven operators hold a Part 450 license with more applications underway.
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