Commercial Human Spaceflight: Background, Regulations and Safety

The number of commercial launch and reentry operations carrying humans is a small proportion of the overall number of commercial space operations-about 10 percent in 2023-but it is growing. Currently, private companies hope to create a market for commercial human spaceflight. In addition to contracts with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to support federal missions, companies such as SpaceX plan to transport private citizens into space. Other companies such as Axiom Space are developing orbital platforms with the intent to host both government astronauts and tourists in space. This book summarizes current capabilities and plans for commercial human spaceflight, explains how it is regulated and licensed, and defines some commonly used terminology. This book also discusses how FAA oversees the safety of commercial operations with humans onboard, and is preparing for expanded oversight of human spaceflight, which may include regulations directed at protecting the health and safety of humans onboard.