Space News by Jeff Foust — September 23, 2018
Space industry officials are hoping Congress will find some resolution before the end of the year to debates about which agency should be responsible for oversight of "non-traditional" space activities, like satellite servicing.
With Congress set to approve a Federal Aviation Administration bill with some commercial space provisions, those in the industry are hoping for action on other bills before the end of this year.
House and Senate negotiators announced early Sept. 22 a final agreement on a compromise version of an FAA reauthorization bill, reconciling differences between their separate bills. That final bill is set for votes this week in the House and Senate.
The bill authorizes a significant increase in spending for the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, or AST, from the $22.6 million it received in fiscal year 2018 to a little more than $33 million in 2019, growing to nearly $76 million in 2023. Appropriators, though, have not matched that authorized increase for 2019, with House and Senate versions of spending bills funding the FAA offering just under $25 million for AST.
The reauthorization bill includes several policy provisions associated with commercial spaceflight as well. One would require the FAA to designate an official within its air traffic organization to serve as the single point of contact for working with the head of AST on airspace issues associated with commercial launch activity.
More:
https://spacenews.com/congress-includes-space-provisions-in-faa-bill-as-industry-seeks-action-on-other-regulatory-issues/
