Tells Space Innovators "I Think We Are On The Very Brink Of
Commercial Human Spaceflight"
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt
spoke Wednesday to the Commercial Space Forum, painting a fairly
rosy picture of the future for space entrepreneurs.
Babbitt compared today's level of commercial spaceflight to the
early days of aviation. " They were the ones who blazed the trail
that we still follow today," Babbitt said. "For commercial space,
if you want to see the “early” trailblazers, look
around this room right now. You are taking ideas and concepts that
are still getting their sea legs and you’re creating an
industry that by all accounts has a tremendous future in
store."
Babbitt said the Obama administration's budget for next year
will be a tremendous boon to commercial space companies. And he
said one of the most exiting areas is space tourism. "I’ll be
honest with you — hearing the captain say,
“There’s a spectacular, close-up view of the moon for
passengers seated on the right side of the spacecraft” well,
that’s something I’d like to hear in person. The idea
of seeing the curvature of the Earth is downright tantalizing.
Weightlessness used to be reserved for a pretty small circle we
called “astronauts.” Not any more."
Babbitt says he sees the United Sates on the very brink of
commercial human space flight and regular sub-orbital space
tourism. "Congress helped pave the way with legislation that
allowed us to issue experimental launch permits that have spurred
research and development," Babbitt said. "The Hill also outlined
passenger safety steps with the “informed consent”
approach. Now, the deal-breaker may just be the cost of a ticket. I
hear numbers like 200 thousand dollars and that’s an awfully
pricey ride. But I think all of us expect that’s going to
come down and that the future of this industry will continue to
evolve, just as aviation did."
Babbitt said commercial space flight and aviation have a lot in
common. "Folding commercial space into the Federal Aviation
Administration was a smart move. If you’re talking about
launching an industry that’s going to use commercial airspace
on its way to an altitude of 62 miles, you need to be concerned
with the airliners and the general aviation aircraft that are
criss-crossing the flight levels in between."
But Babbitt also sounded a familiar
theme. He said that, as the administrator of the agency that will
oversee the commercial space industry, his primary concern is
safety. "We know from the hard lessons of aviation that a safety
record is maintained only through vigilance and professionalism. If
the commercial space industry is going to be a viable, enduring
form of transportation, it must continue to take the same overall
approach to safety that is used by commercial and general
aviation."
Overall, Babbitt said he is very optimistic about the future of
the commercial space industry. "Commercial space has a track record
for achievement and a track record for safety. Given the
investments that are being made nationwide, there’s little
doubt in my mind that business and the taxpayer also see great
promise. Count me as one who expects big things from commercial
space. I’ve spoken to you now as a pilot and as a regulator.
I’m eager to speak to you one day as a passenger."