Overview of Current
FAA Process for
Airspace Integration
of Space Launch and
Reentry Operations
Federal Aviation
Administration
Manfred Lachs Conference on the
Regulation of Emerging Modes of
Aerospace Transportation
Daniel Murray
Office of Commercial Space Transportation
24 May 2013
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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U.S. Commercial Space Transportation
•
FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST)
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/
•
Mission: To ensure protection of the public, property, and the
national security and foreign policy interests of the United States
during commercial launch or reentry activities, and to encourage,
facilitate, and promote U.S. commercial space transportation
•
Over 220 licensed and permitted commercial launches since 1989
with no public casualties or major property damage
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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U.S. Spaceports
Commercial/Government/Private Launch Sites
*
Poker
Flat
Research
Range
 Kodiak
Launch
Complex
California
Spaceport
Key
 U.S. Federal Launch Site
 Non-Federal FAA-Licensed
Launch Site
* Owned by University of
Alaska Geophysical
Institute
* Sole Site Operator



Mojave Airport

Edwards AFB
Vandenberg
AFB



White Sands
Missile Range
*
Wallops
Flight
Facility
Oklahoma Spaceport
Spaceport
America
Blue Origin
Launch Site
Sea Launch Platform
Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport

SpaceX
Launch Site


*

Cecil Field
Spaceport


-Kennedy Space
Center
-Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station
Spaceport Florida

Equatorial Pacific Ocean
Reagan Test Site
Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
Other spaceports have been proposed by: Alabama, Colorado, Georgia
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and multiple locations in Texas.
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
FAA/AST: December 2012
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Amateur Rockets
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Making It Work
• Today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
accommodates space operations and amateur rocket
activities in the National Airspace System (NAS) on a
mission-by-mission basis
• A small FAA team works collaboratively with space
launch and reentry operators to negotiate opportunities
for them to safely accomplish their missions
• Goal: Minimize the effect of a launch or reentry on
the efficiency and capacity of the NAS without
jeopardizing opportunities for mission success
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Current Air Traffic Management Approach
• Generally, FAA protects against potential space vehicle
contingencies using preemptive airspace closures (i.e.
“plan for failure”)
•
Relatively large volumes of airspace are closed in advance of a
launch, reentry, or amateur rocket operation to protect air traffic
from hazards
•
Toolset:
• NOTAMs
• Temporary Flight
Restrictions
• Altitude Reservations
• Special Use Airspace
• Tactical Approaches
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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The Columbia Accident
• The 2003 Columbia accident illustrated a need to better
manage the risk to aircraft flying near the potential debris
hazard associated with space vehicles returning from orbit
• FAA procedures existed for Shuttle landings prior to
Columbia, but they did not address the hazards to aircraft
of falling debris
DFW
N
Debris
Footprint
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
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Federal Aviation
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Lessons Learned From Columbia
•
Effective airspace management around space operations requires
increased situational awareness
• Identified need to:
•
•
•
•
•
Accurately model a space
vehicle accident
Identify potentially affected
airspace
Assess impacts on air traffic
Quickly distribute information to
affected parties
Identified FAA need for
increased communication with
space vehicle operator
throughout a space operation
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
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• FAA directly supported NASA on all 22 Shuttle
missions since STS-114 in August of 2004
• Successfully demonstrated implementation of
“operational airspace management around
space operations” concept
• Notification was disseminated but airspace below and
in front of reentering orbiter was left open to all traffic
• FAA was prepared to protect airspace based on
receipt of accident notification from NASA
• Prototype software for reentry debris prediction was
developed and used operationally
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
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Operational Planning
1. Input
2. Development and Integration
3. Assessment
4. Decision Making
5. Final Planning for Operational Support
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
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Operational Planning
Example: SpaceX Dragon Reentries
• SpaceX proposed Dragon landing locations all along US West Coast
• FAA evaluated danger area sizes, locations, and durations
• Negotiations between FAA
US Navy, and SpaceX
defined procedures for
notification and coordination
• FAA evaluated effects on
NAS traffic between Hawaii
and Los Angeles and
identified limits on acceptable
landing locations
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
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Operational Execution
1. Realtime monitoring
•
•
•
•
Process led by FAA Air Traffic Control System Command
Center
Stand up hotline and data connection with space operator
Monitor planned events against pre-defined timelines
Coordinate for release of airspace as soon as possible
2. Realtime response in the event of a vehicle failure
•
•
•
Compute best estimate of location and extent of hazarded
airspace using best available data
Work with affected ATC facilities to identify aircraft within
danger area and aircraft approaching danger area
Coordinate among ATC facilities to develop any traffic
management initiatives
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Operational Execution
Example: SpaceX Dragon CRS2 Reentry
The Most Recent ATCSCC Advisory
ATCSCC ADVZY 016 DCC 03/26/2013 DRAGON REENTRY VEHICLE
MESSAGE: THE DRAGON REENTRY VEHICLE HAS STARTED THE DE-ORBIT BURN
FOR THE
RETURN. THE DRAGON IS EXPECTED TO SPLASH DOWN IN THE
PACIFIC OCEAN
AT 1634UTC. NOTIFICATION OF COMPLETION OF THE OPERATION
WILL BE
FORWARDED THROUGH THE ADVISORY SYSTEM.
EFFECTIVE 261542 TIME:
SIGNATURE: 13/03/26
261634
15:42
• Used flow evaluation areas
(FEAs) on Traffic Situational
Display (TSD) to track progress of
reentry using data provided by
SpaceX over secure data link
• SpaceX provided verbal mission
status updates over hotline
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Operational Execution
Example: SpaceX Dragon C2 Reentry
Updated
Hazard
Area
Predicted
Hazard
Area
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
• SpaceX would declare a
breakup over the hotline
• FAA would compute updated
danger area using last
known state vector provided
by SpaceX
• Input danger area
coordinates into TSD and
share across affected ATC
facilities
• Coordinate with ATC facilities
to implement necessary
traffic management initiatives
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Post Operation
• Review plan and outcome to evaluate and verify safety
and effect on NAS performance
• Work with operator to resolve any issues
• Gather metrics, document
lessons learned
• Make process adjustments as
necessary
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
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Notes
• Process is currently applied mission-by-mission, but
approaches are expected to evolve into a collaborative,
standardized framework for NAS management
• Same approach and process is used for DoD/NASA
launches and reentries as is used for commercial
launches and reentries however, available alternate
strategies may be more limited and timelines may be
reduced
• Each mission proposes unique challenges but best
practices are being identified that can be applied to
different missions and different locations
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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International Coordination
•
•
•
FAA handles US launches/reentries affecting another
country’s airspace on a case-by-case basis
For one-time events, procedures are worked out via
teleconference between affected Air Navigation Service
Providers (ANSPs) and space operator
For repeated events, FAA requires
space operator to develop agreement
with appropriate ANSP
•
•
Document ANSP’s notification and
coordination requirements and establish
necessary procedures
When a danger area overlaps an FIR
boundary, each ANSP publishes a
NOTAM for entire danger area
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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International Coordination
• Example: SpaceX Dragon Reentries
•
Extension of danger area from FAA’s Oakland Oceanic
(ZAK) FIR into Mexico’s Mazatlan Oceanic (MZT) FIR
required negotiation of agreement between SpaceX,
FAA, and Mazatlan Center
ZAK
MZT
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Evolving the Approach
•
Transition from “planning for failure” to “operating for success”
•
•
•
•
Airspace required to contain space vehicle hazards would only be
closed in response to a vehicle failure, and airspace would remain
open to all traffic otherwise, while…
Vehicle designers invest in and develop technological innovations
to increase reliability and keeping costs down
Vehicle operators conduct high frequency operations and develop
techniques that increase operational predictability
ANSPs invest in and develop technologies that broaden and
improve ATC capabilities
•
•
Automate receipt, processing, and
dissemination of data and
information in real time
Develop decision support for
monitoring ops and responding to
contingencies
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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Contact
Mr. Daniel P. Murray
Acting Manager
Space Transportation Development Division (AST-100)
Office of Commercial Space Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
Daniel.Murray@faa.gov
Process for Airspace Integration of Space Launch and Reentry Operations
24 May 2013
Federal Aviation
Administration
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