Safety research at the U.S. FAA center of excellence for commercial space transportation

Commercial space research is different in many ways when compared to space research historically conducted by military and governmental space organizations. Differences in possible topics, subjects, and technology characteristics drive researchers to search for different types of solutions to what seem to be familiar problems. A research consortium sponsored by the United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE CST), was established in 2010 to facilitate collaborative research activities with a specific emphasis on the commercial aspects of space-related research. Major research areas have been identified that encompass as many possible research topics as could be imagined (as they are pertinent to commercial space activities). The first research domain focuses on the operational challenges of integrating commercial space activities into the national air space (NAS), the management of space “traffic” on-orbit, and the safe operations of spaceports. The second research area most resembles the governmental space research activities, with an emphasis on engineering of systems, subsystems, operations, and analyses surrounding the vehicle and its safety. The third research area encircles the human as a part of the space activity. Research on physiology, human factors, human rating, and training are some of the primary concerns of this domain. Finally, research based in the social sciences are included to study the markets, policy, law, and regulatory environments that will be required to ensure long-term viability of the evolving commercial space industries.