Within the next few weeks, the Federal Aviation Administration will issue regulations concerning so-called “experimental permits” that private spacecraft owners will use to test their rockets. Essentially, the rules tell developers what they need to do once they obtain a permit, and are designed to expedite research on spacecraft.

In February, the FAA issued regulations establishing requirements for crew and space flight passengers involved in private human space flight. The regulations include rules on crew qualifications and training, and informed consent for crew and space flight participants. The requirements should provide an acceptable level of safety to the public and ensure individuals on board are aware of the risks associated with a launch or reentry.

The subject of forthcoming regulations concern “experimental permits” that private spacecraft owners will use to test their rockets, applicable specifically to reusable suborbital rockets such as those that Virgin Galactic and others plan to use to boost a space tourism industry.

According to Forbes last week:

In addition to building upon the very young regulatory framework surrounding private space travel, the regulations will make it easier for companies to test their vehicles. Developers of private spacecraft can already obtain a license from the FAA to test their rockets, but the process for obtaining such a permit is lengthy and complicated.

As far as regulations go, the FAA’s soon-to-be-released rules are relatively light. Applicants for experimental permits will need to provide a description of their program, a flight test plan, documentation showing the operational safety of the spacecraft and a plan for response in case of a mishap. Space vehicles should also be able to handle an unlimited number of launches. The government will not certify spacecraft, nor will passengers be allowed on test flights. However, the FAA is giving developers as much time as they need to test their rockets.

The FAA is in a rather unique position among federal agencies in that it must both regulate space travel and promote it, Forbes notes. Space experts generally agree that the rules the administration will soon issue are a positive step in giving a boost to an industry that is still in the very early stages of its infancy. Yet it remains to be seen whether private space travel is a business that can survive.

Some people remain skeptical, not only of the viability of a private space travel industry’s business plan, but also of the safety of easy-going regulation of private spaceflight projects.

The rocketplane promoters lobbied the U.S. Congress into passing a law that greatly restricts regulation of their industry until 2012, according to a SpaceDaily editorial last month by Jeffrey F. Bell, a former space scientist. As such, “tourist rocketplanes will operate in the kind of regulatory vacuum that existed in the barnstorming era of aviation.”

Others are more optimistic, appealing for regulations that are conducive to experimentation and testing, calling private space industry a revolution.

The idea of private space travel as the next frontier for adventurers has gained enormous popularity within the last decade, particularly after SpaceShipOne, financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, won the coveted Ansari X Prize in 2004. The prize offered $10 million to the first private organization to put a reusable vehicle into space within a two-week time frame.

For now, though, private space travel remains the domain of the filthy rich: Virgin’s Richard Branson started Virgin Galactic in an attempt to sell suborbital trips to ordinary citizens; and Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos started a company called Blue Origin to create a private suborbital space vehicle.

In February, the Amazon.com founder issued a hiring call for talented and passionate engineers and managers who want to work on the aerospace project help build a rocket ship:

Blue Origin is actively hiring. We are particularly looking for experienced propulsion engineers and experienced turbomachinery engineers, as well as a senior leader to head our turbopump group. Folks with turbopump or propulsion experience on large, modern, cryogenic engines such as the RS-68 are of particular interest. Another high priority for us is an experienced leader for our structures team. Structures experience on large, modern vehicles such as Delta IV or Atlas V is of particular interest.

Primary Source: Forbes

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