On April 5, 2017, at the 33rd Space Symposium held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos discussed the new Shepard rocket booster Speaking to the media with the crew cabin model.
Isaiah J. Downing/Reuters
US crash investigators, preparing for the rapid growth of space tourism by operators such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, are formulating accident investigation rules.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a proposal on Tuesday Regulation If a civil space launch causes an accident, this will establish a formal framework for its powers and responsibilities.
“When the NTSB conducted its first commercial space survey in the early 1990s, the industry was still in its infancy,” NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said in a press release.
“As commercial space operations have expanded exponentially since then, when an accident or accident occurs, commercial space operators and industry stakeholders have a clear understanding of what procedures are in place to ensure the integrity of our safety investigations. The more important it is,” Homendy added.
This year, Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos both entered the edge of space in a vehicle designed by their company. Passengers included Star Trek actor William Shatner.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, also sent civilians into space, emission Four crew members enter orbit.
NTSB’s supervision only applies to such civil actions. NASA and the military’s space flight will continue to conduct separate investigation and supervision.
The NTSB’s proposal will give it the authority to lead the investigation of civil space accidents, and will establish rules that stipulate when operators must notify it of the accident and require the preservation of wreckage and records.
These regulations will codify the NTSB’s existing roles. It has investigated multiple incidents and accidents, such as 2014 collision The Virgin Galactic test flight resulted in the death of a pilot.
The public can comment on the proposal before January 18.
