SpaceX says FAA is unable to keep up with space industry

The battle between SpaceX and FAA has reached a new level as the space company said that the agency is unable to keep up with the commercial space industry.

In a multi-page letter sent to the US Congress, SpaceX shared its experience working with the FAA for launch and reentry approvals.

“SpaceX and many in the industry, legal practice, and academia have raised the alarm on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) implementation of its commercial space launch and reentry regulatory mandate,” wrote SpaceX.

The agency is administrated by the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST). The space rocket maker alleged that AST lacks the resources to timely receive licensing materials, and mistakenly focuses its limited resources on areas unrelated to its public safety regulatory scope.

It further mentioned that the agency has been failing to keep up with the commercial space industry and operating with outdated regulations.

The turf between the two sides increased after the Starship program, which is an ambitious project for the space launch vehicle company. It is designed to take a heavy payload and fly to other planets.

Since last year, SpaceX has been testing this launch vehicle at Starbase Texas and it has so far completed 4 flights. The company is demanding the agency increase the scope of its flight license and the launch numbers per year.

However, the FAA is conducting an extensive environmental check on the Starship and its impact on the public and wildlife. Most recently, the agency has speculated Starship 5 launch date for November this year, which was expected to fly in September.

Soon after, SpaceX criticized the delay and said that the delay would hinder innovation and advancement in space technologies.

Thereafter, the FAA said that the delay was related to the changes made in the launch license application for Flight 5 and the need to review the environment and safety review.

SpaceX countered these claims by saying that the agency is overreaching its power and focusing on regulations are unrelated to the program.

(source)