Continuing Resolution Prolongs FAA Spaceflight Safety Rule Restrictions

Congress has extended a moratorium on the Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to regulate commercial spaceflight safety from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, 2024.

The extension is part of a continuing resolution lawmakers passed on Saturday that also includes a three-month reauthorization of the FAA, SpaceNews reported. 

Lawmakers are deliberating on a longer reauthorization for the agency and whether to prolong the restrictions on commercial spaceflight safety regulations.

The spaceflight industry seeks to continue a “learning period” allowing for free experimentation before the FAA establishes passenger protections. Aviation companies received similar treatment in the early 1900s.

In September, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy introduced a bill that would extend the learning period by eight years. The House Science Committee has received the proposal but has yet to take it up.

According to Kelvin Coleman, the FAA’s associate administrator of commercial space transportation, the learning period’s potential expiry would kickstart a regulatory development process that could take up to five years.