Safety

One concept is the familiar rocket with a capsule
on top, like Blue Origin’s New Shepard. There are no
control surfaces to maneuver the rocket, so other
traffic must be clear of the area during launch. Airspace,
including the areas where the booster rocket
and capsule will eventually come down, must be
cleared around the spaceport to minimize risks to
other aircraft.
Another concept launches horizontally. An
example is XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx, which is similar
to a typical airplane in that it takes off horizontally
from a runway — but it does so under rocket power.
After a controlled ascent reaching Mach 2.9, its
momentum carries it the rest of the way into space.
Then the spacecraft glides back down and lands at a
spaceport as a glider on reentry.
And a third suborbital RLV concept involves the
combination of two aircraft, such as Virgin Galactic’s
SpaceShipTwo. The spacecraft is attached to and carried
by the mothership into Class A airspace, where
it is released at 50,000 feet. The spacecraft then
accelerates to Mach 4 to reach space. The spacecraft
returns to Earth as a glider and lands on a runway of
a commercial spaceport.
Tracking Stardust
To help with automating airspace integration
with spacecraft, the FAA is prototyping a tool
called the Space Data Integrator (SDI). A real-time
operational demonstration should be happening
when SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft comes in for its
next reentry mission, which should be around the
publish date of this article.
“Through SDI, we’ll be able to automate the
operational procedures that air traffic controllers
currently perform for space operations,” explains
Bristol. “We’ll be able to determine the right
amount of airspace to block off for these operations
and more efficiently release the blocked
airspace so it’s available for other airspace users.
We’ll also be able to adapt to contingencies. For
instance, if we know that a reentry is coming in off
course, we can block off new airspace and release
the old airspace.”
These efforts are helping the FAA plan and prepare
for the safe and efficient integration of commercial
space operations into the NAS. Space flight
is a an exciting new chapter in aviation history, and
one the FAA remains committed to keeping safe for
pilots at any altitude. And if you haven’t already,
equip your GA aircraft with ADS-B so you can be
part of the FAA’s enhanced network that will provide
safe separation from all airspace users, including
spacecraft. Stay tuned as we accelerate into the
future of commercial space travel!
Paul Cianciolo is an assistant editor and the social media lead for FAA
Safety Briefing. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and a rated aircrew member
and search and rescue team leader with the Civil Air Patrol.
Photos courtesy Blue Origin
(Left) Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster executes a controlled vertical landing at 4.2 mph.
(Right) After a clean separation from the propulsion module, the New Shepard crew capsule
descends to a gentle landing in the west Texas desert.
May/June 2016 FAA Safety Briefing 31