FAA Releases Recommended Practices for Human Spaceflight Safety

WASHINGTON (FAA PR) — After working closely with NASA, industry, and other key stakeholders, the FAA has issued its “Recommended Practices for Human Space Flight Occupant Safety.”

This document is the culmination of a 3-year effort which involved researching existing human space flight standards, conducting a series of public teleconferences to gather recommendations, and soliciting feedback from the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC).

These practices are based on the data gathered and lessons learned from more than 100 years of aviation and over 50 years of human space flight.

Commercial aviation has provided significant insights on the need for regulatory balance, both in terms of business viability, and with respect to passenger safety. Government space programs have helped identify crucial design features and operational capabilities that have been shown to be very important during previous human space flights.

Although industry is not required to follow the identified practices, the document provides a framework that space vehicle developers and operators may find useful in the preparation of industry consensus standards. It is intended to facilitate ongoing safety discussions between government, industry, and academia.

FAA Recommended Practices for Human Space Flight Occupant Safety (PDF)