FAA now requires reentry vehicles to get licensed before launch
- Reference: 1713780913
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/04/22/faa_now_requires_reentry_vehicles/
- Source link:
It appears to be a response to last year's situation, where Varda Space Industries launched its W-1 mission without a license to bring the capsule back to US soil.
The [1]notice , applicable from April 17, 2024, requires that if a payload is a reentry vehicle, then it must have re-entry authorization before launch will be authorized.
[2]
The FAA's concerns regarding launching without re-entry authorization stem from public safety and an acknowledgment that the reentry vehicle will eventually return to Earth once launched. Its mission might be constrained by propellant, component failure, or some other factor, but unless its orbit can be raised high enough for it not to be a concern, it will inevitably re-enter at some point.
[3]
[4]
The FAA explained: "Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the safety of the reentry prior to launch."
Last year, Varda's W-1, based on a Rocket Lab Photon satellite bus, was launched into orbit. While the FAA gave permission for the launch, it did not give authorization for the capsule to return to the US.
[5]
The result was that the mission ended up being extended far beyond the original plan, although short of the [6]year that the spacecraft could have remained on orbit.
The company [7]emphasized on social media that it had followed the rules, and said: "Last year, the FAA gave Varda formal, written permission to launch W-1 & Varda complied w/ all requirements to do so.
"Varda will continue working with the FAA and other federal regulators as their policies regarding reentry operations continue to evolve."
[8]Varda capsule proves you don't need astronauts for gravity-defying science
[9]NASA awards $150 million to prototype tech for humans on the Moon, and above it
[10]US Air Force says AI-controlled F-16 fighter jet has been dogfighting with humans
[11]Mars helicopter sends final message, but will keep collecting data
A Varda spokesperson told The Register : "Once FAA issued a license early this year, our flight-proven reentry system safely and successfully landed at the Utah Test and Training Range," and added: "We expect to launch our next mission later this year."
[12]SpaceNews reported that Kelvin Coleman, FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation, said that the updates were related to the Varda experience. He acknowledged that Varda was permitted to launch without a reentry license due to schedule pressures but noted that such a scenario was unlikely to be permitted again. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/17/2024-08156/launch-of-a-reentry-vehicle-as-a-payload-that-requires-a-reentry-authorization-to-return-to-earth
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZiaJoCI47O4KquZoqiIO-gAAAM8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZiaJoCI47O4KquZoqiIO-gAAAM8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZiaJoCI47O4KquZoqiIO-gAAAM8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZiaJoCI47O4KquZoqiIO-gAAAM8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://twitter.com/VardaSpace/status/1702776131819094397
[7] https://twitter.com/VardaSpace/status/1781041900717285455
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/23/materials_processed_in_space_return/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/26/nasa_moon_funding/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/18/darpa_f16_flight/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/18/mars_helicopter_ingenuity_final_message/
[12] https://spacenews.com/faa-to-require-reentry-vehicles-licensed-before-launch/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Ukrainians are getting around the FAA regulations by making sure anything they launch lands in Russia; which is well outside of FAA jurisdiction.
Puzzled
That this was not always the case, also if it was not going to come down then there should be a plan to park it safely too.
Re: Puzzled
To be fair most things don't need parking safely, they can come down and not hit anything by virtue of disintegrating in the upper atmosphere.
Things that are designed to withstand reentry need more care, because when they come down they are likely to make it all the way to the ground.
Re: Puzzled
Which is why everything that could survive re-entry but isn't designed to land is targeted at a specific "middle of nowhere" part of the Pacific Ocean called [1]"Point Nemo" , which is roughly 1600 miles from the nearest land mass.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_cemetery
Re: Puzzled
Which is why everything that could survive re-entry but isn't designed to land is targeted at a specific "middle of nowhere" part of the Pacific Ocean called "Point Nemo", which is roughly 1600 miles from the nearest land mass.
And they still occasionally manage to miss that Point Nemo by more than 1600 miles, hitting land.
Re: Puzzled
It has always been required that you need a re-entry license for re-entry, but as mentioned in the article, you did not have to have that license at the point of launch. This left the situation where you could legally launch an object that is due to come back to earth without yet having the license to bring it back. In the Varda case they just left the re-entry vehicle in orbit until they had the necessary license and then brought it down. Quite what would happen if you were denied the re-entry license is not clear, as eventually the orbit would decay and the re-entry vehicle would come down no matter what the FAA says.
What the FAA has doen is close the loophole so that you can't launch now and then hope to get your re-entry license before you run out of fuel. You now need the re-entry license before launch.
Nah, this is vs. SpaceX.