Certification Versus Licensing for Human Spaceflight in Commercial Space Transportation

Abstract

Abstract Safety oversight of commercial space transportation by the government can come in two forms: a certification regime or a licensing regime. Certification addresses design characteristics of a vehicle and is common in aviation. It is typically based on decades of extensive flight experience and data. While aviation certification can be expensive, there is a large and mature market to offset initial investment. However, certification may not be the best approach for a new industry such as commercial human spaceflight. Although there is a history of government funded orbital spaceflight, most commercial companies do not have the same resources as government programs. In addition, new suborbital vehicles have less in common with historical government suborbital test aircraft, and to date only a few commercial flights have been carried out. The market for carrying people into space shows great potential but is unproven for both commercial orbital and suborbital vehicles. In 1984, the Department of Tran...