Medium
Kelvin B. Coleman
05 August 2024
The FAA recently surpassed the 800th licensed commercial space operation.
Recently, we surpassed the 800th time that a commercial space operation authorized by the FAA traveled to or back from space.
We’ve come a long way since the first time, in 1989, when a company called Space Services Inc. launched a three-ton rocket known as Starfire One to a height of 198 miles above Earth on a seven-minute operation that aimed to learn about weightlessness, plastic and powdered metals.
Space transportation services operated by private companies are now used multiple times a week, emerging as an increasingly reliable and affordable ride for civil, military, international and private customers to carry out the boundless promise of scientific discovery and security goals.
As a regulator, the FAA understands that the success of this industry has been directly tied to its safety record — no member of the public has ever been lost or seriously injured from an FAA-authorized launch or reentry operation.
