FAA Wants To Increase Oversight of Texas and New Mexico Operations
On the eve of the first manned flight of Blue Origin, the FAA has announced that they have opened a safety field office in Houston to increase its oversight of commercial space operations in Texas and New Mexico. This, despite criticism in particular, from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over the agency's conduct to this point. From this location, FAA inspectors will be able to more effectively and efficiently monitor the ongoing testing programs and commercial space tourism operations of SpaceX and Blue Origin in Texas and Virgin Galactic in New Mexico, along with others in the region.