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Former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez says the costs of spaceflight will come down.
Jeff Bezos may have to settle for an “honorary” title in his space race ambitions after US air authorities change the requirements for the “astronaut” title.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Order 8800.2 on the same day the former Amazon CEO took flight aboard his ship Blue Origin earlier this week. Bezos reached the minimum altitude of 50 miles above the Earth’s surface, but he would potentially fall short of other criteria.
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| SPCE | HOLDINGS VIRGIN GALACTIC INC. | 29.58 | -1.24 | -4.02% |
Future astronauts must participate in activities during flight that are “essential to public safety” or contribute to “the safety of human spaceflight”. In addition, the astronaut must meet flight crew and training requirements under federal regulations.
JEFF BEZOS GIVES $ 100 MILLION TO JOSE ANDRES, VAN JONES AFTER BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET FLIGHT
The FAA has yet to clarify what counts as qualifying activities.
Rival billionaire Richard Branson, who flew on his SpaceShipTwo rocket, could still qualify as he pointedly tested his rocket cabin experience while two pilots guided the ship. Branson also obtained his license to fly before launching into space.
Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said ahead of the maiden voyage that Bezos and his fellow travelers had “really nothing… to do” during the flight since it was an autonomous vehicle, according to the BBC .
BLUE ORIGIN ALREADY HAS $ 100M IN PRIVATE SALES AND 2 ADDITIONAL HUMAN MISSIONS FOR THIS YEAR
The FAA decided to tighten up standards as Bezos and Branson both pushed to try to open commercial spaceflight to the public: Branson became the first owner of a space company to embark on his own spacecraft on July 11 while Bezos flew on July 20.
The agency opened an office in Houston, Texas to better monitor competing companies.
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“To ensure public safety as the pace of commercial space operations increases, the FAA must adapt, be agile and remain vigilant,” FAA Associate Commercial Space Transportation Administrator Wayne Monteith said in a statement.. “The Houston Field Office will help us achieve these important goals.”
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