Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is one of the private space companies that could be affected by new legislation. Image credit: Blue Origin
Private space travel could be free to progress without federal regulation for the next eight years if bill H.R. 2262 passes presidential approval.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Transportation to report to congressional committees on the development of the commercial space industry’s self-guided standards. The DOT will also report to Congress about the commercial space companies’ progress, and provide flight service for compensation or hire. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would still have some oversight, and need to issue experimental and commercial rocket launch licenses.
H.R. 2262 was approved by the House of Representatives on Nov. 16, and will be going before the president later in the week. This bill could be critical for private space companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, which could be limited by the scope of current federally permitted practices. The law could also expand the lifespan of the International Space Station into the 2020s, and would give commercial companies the rights to resources mined from asteroids and other objects in space.
Private space companies are in stiff competition to see which will become the master of the skies. SpaceX and Boeing were chosen by NASA to participate in its commercial crew program to bring astronauts to the space station.
(Via Fast Company.)
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
