FAA Opens Houston Space Safety Office - AVweb

The FAA opened a new field office in Houston, Texas, on Monday designed to expand its oversight of commercial space operations in Texas and New Mexico. According to the agency, the Space Safety field office will allow it to more efficiently monitor testing programs and commercial space tourism operations conducted by companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. In addition, the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation is increasing its safety inspection staff and establishing an Office of Spaceports.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/faa-regs/faa-opens-houston-space-safety-office

In other words we’re (the FAA) are going to bury this in red tape and bureaucracy.

Nothing about space launches are “safe” or routine. I’m sorry but a field office in some big city is not going to change the extreme inherent risks.