report to comstac of the space transportation operations working group

Federal AviationAdministrationFederal AviationAdministration

Presented to: COMSTAC

By: Debra Facktor Lepore, STOWG Chair

Date: October 14, 2011

Report to COMSTAC of the Space Transportation Operations Working Group

Federal AviationAdministration

STOWG Working Group Report to COMSTACOctober 14, 2011

Status from Last Meeting

• Survey Results of Economic Impact of Orbital Debris Standard Compliance (closed)

• CONOPS Report on Reentry Debris (ongoing)• Space Operations Framework (ongoing)• Manifest Action Item for CLSRB (Consolidated Launch

Schedule Review Board) (ongoing, send to Al Wassel, FAA/AST)

• COMSTAC Review of 2004 U.S. Space Transportation Policy Submitted

• FAA/AST Public Meeting held on Regulatory Approach for Commercial Orbital Human Spaceflight (update given by Randy Repcheck)

STOWG Working Group Report to COMSTAC October 14, 2011



International Developments in Space Operations

• European Union's Proposed "Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities:” Summary & Status– Richard H. Buenneke, Senior Adviser, Space Policy, Office of Missile

Defense and Space Policy, Bureau of Arms Control Verification and Compliance, U.S. Department of State

• Long-Term Sustainability of Space (A United Nations COPOUS Activity): Summary, Status & Opportunity for Industry Input– John Sloan, FAA/AST




Code of Conduct: Developing Transparency and Confidence Building Measures• Bilateral

– Space security exchanges in diplomatic, military-to-military, and scientific channels

– Close approach notifications

• Multilateral– European Union proposal for an international “Code of Conduct for

Space Activities”– Forthcoming United Nations Group of Government Experts study of

space TCBMs

The United States will pursue bilateral and multilateral transparency and confidence-building measures to encourage responsible actions in, and the peaceful use of, space

– National Space Policy, June 2010



Long-Term Sustainability of Space (LTSSA)• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

(UN COPUOS)– Working group on long-term sustainability of space activities now underway– Expert group reviews of “best practice” guidelines in four areas:

A. Sustainable space utilization supporting sustainable development on EarthB. Space debris, space operations and tools to support collaborative space

situational awarenessC. Space weatherD. Regulatory regimes and guidance for actors in the space arena

• LTSSA working group will guilds on ongoing work in existing international organizations and bodies, including:– Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee– Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems– International Organization for Standardization



COMSTAC Participation in UN COPUOS

• At the request of the State Department for industry participation, FAA asked COMSTAC to nominate volunteers for expert working groups– The overall goal of the expert groups is to put forth best

practices for the international community to use.

• COMSTAC nominated two people: – Chris Kunstadter of XL Insurance for Group B– Rachel Yates of Holland & Hart LLP for Group D

• Informal meetings held at International Astronautical Congress in South Africa (represented by FAA/AST)

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LTSSA Expert Group B – Debris, Operations and SSA Collaborative Tools

• Space Debris– Measures to reduce the creation and proliferation of space debris– Technical developments and possibilities regarding space debris removal

• Space Operations– Conjunction assessment and collision avoidance processes and procedures– Pre-launch and maneuver notifications (including launch collision avoidance)– Rendezvous and proximity operations – Common standards, practices and guidelines

• Processes and procedures to support collaborative space situational awareness

– Registries of operators and contact information– Collection, storage and dissemination of data on functional and non-functional

space objects– Storage and exchange of operational information– Information-sharing procedures



LTSSA Expert Group D – Regulatory Regimes• Regulatory regimes

– Adherence to existing treaties and principles on the peaceful uses of outer space

– Review of the regulatory framework and the tools for the use and transfer of space technologies within international cooperation and international turnover of controlled space-related goods

– National regulatory frameworks for space activities• Guidance for actors in the space arena

– Technical standards, established practices and the acquired experience for the successful development and operation of space systems throughout all the phases of the mission life cycle for all classes of space objects, including microsatellites and smaller satellites

– Technical and legal capacity-building for developing countries



LTSSA Working Group Next Steps• UN Office of Outer Space Affairs has requested inputs on “best

practice guidelines” for consideration by LTSSA expert groups– Requests sent to UN COPUOS Member States, intergovernmental

organizations (e.g., ICAO, ITU) and designated international agencies and bodies

– Inputs from “national” private sector organizations will be submitted via UN COPUOS Member States

– Department of State will submit all U.S. Government and private sector inputs no later than January 15, 2012

• Inputs will be evaluated by expert groups in February 2012 in Vienna, Austria– U.S. participants to include private sector as well as USG experts

• Working group deliberations will continue through February 2013, with final results reported to UN COPUOS in June 2014



Background Material• Council of the European Union’s draft “Code of Conduct for Space Activities, October 11, 2010.

This was approved by EU Ministers on September 27, 2010, with a tasking to Baroness Ashton, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to engage with other nations “with the aim of establishing a text that is acceptable to the greatest number of countries.”

• COPUOS STSC 2011 final report, March 7, 2011. Discussion of working group on long-term sustainability of space activities (LTSSA) in Section XI (pp. 27-30) and Annex IV (pp. 46-49). This establishes four "expert groups" which will start work this year.

• Revised draft terms of reference, prepared by Mr. Peter Martinez of South Africa, the working group chair, February 28, 2011. This proposes (in Para 16) inviting contributions of information from “private sector space operators with considerable experience of space activities and other relevant non-governmental organizations.” http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/stsc/2011/docs.html

• U.S. input on LTSSA, February 7, 2011. This proposed clustering of topics as well as possible timelines for various elements (a proposal that was accepted in principle by the working group).

• Remarks by Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy, at the National Space Symposium, April 14, 2011

– http://www.state.gov/t/avc/rls/160816.htm – http://www.spacenews.com/military/110413-pentagon-endorses-code-conduct-space.html


http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/stsc/2011/docs.html

http://www.state.gov/t/avc/rls/160816.htm

http://www.spacenews.com/military/110413-pentagon-endorses-code-conduct-space.html



Finding & Recommendation #1: European Union’s Code of Conduct and UN Long Term Sustainability of Space

• Finding #1– Visibility into the Code of Conduct is necessary, and the communication

mechanisms being used to keep industry informed is working.– Participation in the LTSSA activity by industry is necessary and

important to ensure industry points of view reflected

• Recommendation #1– FAA/AST facilitation of communication is welcome, appreciated, and

working. FAA/AST should continue to engage the State Department, the international community, and share industry concerns as voiced by COMSTAC.

– COMSTAC should gather and submit a consolidated set of inputs to the State Dept by the January 15, 2012 deadline

– FAA/AST should continue to participate in these discussions




Recommendation #1: Continued• Recommended COMSTAC accept the following

coordinated process and schedule for submitting industry inputs to the State Dept by January 15– Oct 28: RFI to industry– Nov 17: STOWG telecon (this subject and others)– Dec 1: Industry responses due to COMSTAC– Dec 13: COMSTAC draft responses sent to COMSTAC members– Jan 3: COMSTAC final report distributed– Jan 5: COMSTAC telecon to accept and vote– Jan 6: Submit report to FAA/AST– Jan 12: FAA/AST acceptance of report– Jan 15: Deliver to State Dept

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STOWG Working Group Report to COMSTAC, October 14, 2011



DOD Proposal to Enhance Commercial Interactions at Federal Ranges

• Tom Shearer, DOD Executive Agent for Space• The proposed FY12 NDAA addition of Section 2275

“Commercial Space Launch Cooperation” to “U.S.C. Title 10 Armed Forces” will:– Synchronize Title 10 with Title 15 (Commerce) and – Title 49 (Transportation)– – Enable DoD partnerships with states and commercial users to

Increase capacity, Share resources, Combine resources, Enable commercial space augmentation

• Legislative progress slower than expected, but moving along• Continued opportunities for industry engagement in

early/spring 2012




Finding and Recommendation #2: DoD Proposal to Enhance Commercial Interactions at Federal Ranges

• Finding #2– Although progress is slower, it is useful to keep industry

informed and engaged on this topic

• Recommendation #2– COMSTAC should continue to be used as a mechanism to

keep industry informed. If the legislative effort has matured by the time of the May 2012 COMSTAC meeting, then a formal briefing would be warranted.




Commercial Spaceport Development and Licensing

• Oscar Garcia, InterFlight Global Corp, and Brian Gulliver, RS&H

• Proposed STOWG activity to make spaceport licensing processes easy to understand so all stakeholders can effectively execute projects that require them, such as vehicle launches, recoveries, ground support activities, etc




Discussion• Licensing • Economics-Business Case• Education/Public/Media/PR• Strategies• 14 CFR Part 420 (License to Operate a Launch Site)

– Notice of Proposed Rule Making – Feb 2011– Aerospaceports vs Traditional Range Launch Sites– Common RLV Propellants vs Traditional– Point to Point, CONUS vs OCONUS

Discussion on these topics will continue at future STOWG meetings.

10/12/2011 COMSTAC STOWG 16



Observation #3: Commercial Spaceport Development and Licensing

• The Notice of Proposed Rule Making related to 14 CFR Part 420 on February 16, 2011 includes a number of changes to Part 420 based on experience gained during the licensing of a number of spaceports.

• The debate within industry on this rule making is ongoing.

• Engagement by industry and solicitation of further feedback is worthy and can be facilitated through STOWG telecons in the near term.

10/12/2011 COMSTAC STOWG 17



Possible Venues for STOWG 2012

• In conjunction with other conferences– AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Jan 9-12, 2012 (Nashville, TN)– FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference, February 15-16, 2012

(Washington, DC)– Space Frontier Foundation NewSpace Meeting, July 2012 (Sunnyvale,

CA)– AIAA Space 2012, Sept 11-13, 2012 (Pasadena, CA)

• Tours of Spaceports– Oklahoma City (hosted by Bill Khourie), can schedule any time at

FAA Facility– Florida, New Mexico, etc

• REMEMBER: COMSTAC WG meetings in May & October in DC

STOWG Working Group Report to COMSTAC October 14, 2011 18



STOWG Telecons

• Next telecon to be tentatively scheduled for Thursday November 17




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STOWG ContactSend your email to get on the STOWG distribution list

Debra Facktor Lepore, ChairPresident, DFL Space LLCIndustry Professor, Stevens Institute of [email protected]

Sue Lender, FAA/[email protected]


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