The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is urging caution and collaboration as the U.S. FAA works to accommodate growing demands of commercial space operations. Testifying during a House aviation subcommittee hearing on commercial space regulatory reform today, ALPA president Tim Canoll stressed the need to ensure that safety remains the highest priority as the number of space launches continues to increase.

“As the U.S. airline industry works to meet future passenger and shipper demand while spaceflight operations continue to increase, the aerospace industry must work together to create policies, regulations, and procedures to share resources efficiently and most of all, safely,” Canoll said.

The introduction of any new technology into the National Airspace System requires risk management, Canoll said in testimony. “While commercial space operations are not new, the increase in the frequency of launches and associated segregation of airspace, combined with the growing number of commercial spaceports, means that the elevated demand for access to airspace will likely place pressure on regulators and operators to reduce the size of the airspace protection ones, to minimize commercial space’s operational impact on commercial aviation,” he said. “Without proper mitigations in place, the elevated levels of risk may not be acceptable.”

Increased activity is having a significant impact on commercial aviation operations, he added, citing as an example the February 6 launch at Kennedy Space Center that resulted in the delay of 563 flights, 34,841 additional nautical miles flown by airlines (an average of an additional 62 nm per flight), 4,645 minutes of delay, and 5,000-sq-nm impacted area.

In the past, space launch sites were located a distance from major airports, but with the number of sites increasing, talk has been even of co-location, he said.

Full integration of space vehicles into the National Airspace System without decreasing safety “will be a significant challenge,” Canoll said. “We are confident that it can be successfully achieved.”

Cooperation between stakeholders and the FAA has already begun, he said, noting the subject of commercial launch airspace management is under discussion through an aviation rulemaking committee with another specific committee solely focused on spaceports. “A significant amount of planning and investment is needed to create and implement a commercial space integration strategy very similar to an integration plan drafted for NextGen,” he added.

According to Canoll, this planning should cover standardized airworthiness certification and equipage standards for space vehicles; pilot/operator training and qualification; airspace redesign and procedures; ATC automation enhancements; separation standards; and traffic flow management tools.

“A comprehensive plan is essential to safely and efficiently integrate commercial spaceflight and airline operations,” Canoll said. “Moreover, Congress must provide the FAA with adequate funding to develop and execute this plan.”