Frequently Asked Questions
What is a commercial launch?
FAA/AST defines a commercial launch as satisfying at least one of the following criteria: (1) open to international competition; (2) licensed by the FAA, or (3) privately financed. Commercial launch vehicles are manufactured and marketed by private companies and most often carry privately-owned, rather than government-owned, satellites to space.
How many commercial launches take place each year?
The number of launches that takes place each year varies depending on the demand for launch services, launch site schedules, world events, and other factors. In 2001, there was a global total of 16 commercial launches to orbit, five of which were launched by the United States. That year, commercial launches made up 27 percent of all launches. In recent years, there have been as many as 41 commercial launches around the world in a single year, making up half of all launches in a year. It is important to note that the number of commercial launches often trails the number of satellites they loft, as some launches deploy multiple satellites.
I thought NASA conducted all space launches. Why don't commercial satellites fly on the Space Shuttle?
When the Space Shuttle was first developed, NASA had hoped that private companies would launch their satellites on the Shuttle. After the 1986 explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, U.S. policy placed a general ban on flying non-government payloads on the Shuttle. Today, commercial space launch vehicles are the only means of transportation to space in the United States for privately owned satellites. NASA also supports the launch industry by flying many of its satellites on launch vehicles that it purchases from private companies.
Why isn't NASA, as the U.S. space agency, responsible for the safety and success of commercial space transportation?
NASA is a research and development agency of the federal government, and as such neither operates nor regulates the commercial space transportation industry. The regulatory responsibility for the industry falls to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is a regulatory agency. NASA does, however, often use launch satellites and spacecraft on vehicles developed by private companies.
What does a commercial space launch cost a launch customer?
Launch prices depend on the vehicle being used for the launch, which is determined by the size and destination of the payload being launched. Generally, the larger the payload, the larger the vehicle required, and thus the greater the price. Commercial launches are priced at as little as $8 million for a flight on the Russian START launch vehicle and as much as $180 million for a European Ariane 5 rocket.
How big of a business is the commercial space launch industry?
In 2001, launch revenues around the world totaled nearly $1.5 billion (in U.S. dollars). In recent years, revenues have exceeded $2 billion. Annual revenues depend on the number and types of vehicles launched each year. An AST study of launches in 1999 revealed that the U.S. commercial space transportation industry and the industries it enabled, including satellite manufacturing and services, was responsible for generating nearly $62 billion in economicactivityin the United States. That level is likely to grow in the future as new applications dependent on commercial space transportation emerge.
When did the first licensed U.S. commercial launch take place?
The first such launch occurred in 1989, when a Starfire sub-orbital vehicle carried aloft the Consort-1 payload from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
What is the largest commercial launch vehicle available?
"Largest" can refer to any of a number of characteristics, including mass, height, and performance capability. From the point of view of a satellite launch customer, a vehicle's performance capability is perhaps the most significant. The vehicles with the greatest performance capability include Europe's Ariane 5 (capable of delivering 18,000 kg to low-Earth orbit [LEO] and 6,800 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit [GTO]), Japan's H-IIA 212 (17,280 kg to LEO; 7,500 kg to GTO), and Russia's Proton M/Breeze M (21,000 kg to LEO; 5,500 kg to GTO). These vehicles represent the most capable models in their respective vehicle families.
In 2002, two U.S. launch vehicles were introduced that will soon rival these rockets: Lockheed Martin's Atlas V and Boeing's Delta IV. The Atlas V 500 is capable of delivering 20,050 kg to LEO and 8,200 kg to GTO. The Delta IV Heavy is able to carry 25,800 kg to LEO and 12,400 kg to GTO.
What are LEO, GEO, and GTO?
These acronyms stand for "low-Earth orbit," "geosynchronous (or geostationary) orbit," and "geosynchronous transfer orbit," respectively. They are various orbits around the Earth into which satellites are often placed. LEO refers to orbits that are typically less than 2000 km in altitude. GEO is an orbit around the equator 36,000 km above the Earth. Communications satellites covering large, specific regions are often placed into GEO because the speed required to keep an object in this orbit matches the speed of Earth's rotation, so in effect satellites appear to remain fixed above a single location. GTO is an elliptical orbit into which satellites are often first launched in order to reach GEO. Satellites also use other orbits, but LEO, GEO, and GTO are among the most common.
Can U.S. satellite owners fly their satellites on foreign-owned rockets? Likewise, can non-U.S. satellite owners fly their satellites on U.S.-made vehicles?
The answer to both questions is yes. Many U.S. commercial satellite owners fly their satellites abroad while U.S. vehicles owned and operated fly satellites owned by non-U.S. companies. U.S. policy and security concerns, however, mandate that U.S. government payloads use U.S. commercial vehicles to the greatest extent possible. Regardless of who owns the payload, all U.S. vehicles launch within U.S. borders, and no foreign-made launch vehicles are launched within the United States. The only exception is the Sea Launch venture, an international partnership whose operations are licensed in the United States but take place in the Pacific Ocean.
Since commercial launches use vehicles that only make a one-way trip to space, does this mean the satellites they launch can't be recovered from space for repairs or when they're no longer useful?
It's true that there are no vehicles that can return commercial satellites to Earth for repairs or at the end of their operating lives. The Shuttle could retrieve certain satellites, depending on their orbit, but does not serve commercial satellites. This does not, however, mean that repairs do not occur or that satellites remain in their operating orbits forever. Certain repairs to satellite systems can be made with clever re-programming or other procedures done on Earth and uploaded to the satellite. And when satellites are worn out or no longer needed, they are often either boosted into very high orbits or moved into orbits that will cause them to eventually fall back to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere. Both of these maneuvers are important because they help ensure that the older satellites won't interfere with operational satellites or take up valuable orbital slots that newer satellites could use.
Does the commercial space transportation industry receive any kind of U.S. government support?
The U.S. government does not directly subsidize the industry. However, the government recognizes the importance of space launch capability to science, military defense, communications, and the U.S. economy. As a result, the government supports the development of new vehicles and vehicle technologies. Examples of U.S. government programs intended to spur private sector development of new space vehicles and technologies include the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and NASA's Space Launch Initiative. Monies for developments under these programs have been awarded to companies on a competitive basis and as a result of a specific U.S. government solicitation.
Other federal government support for the commercial launch industry includes Air Force maintenance of federal launch ranges, which host many commercial launches, and financial backing in the case of excessive third-party claims for damages in the case of a commercial launch-related accident.
Are there any space vehicles, besides the Space Shuttle, that can carry people into space?
The only other vehicle in the world capable of carrying people into space is Russia's Soyuz rocket, which is an expendable launch vehicle that can be outfitted with a capsule designed for human flight in space and return to Earth. All other space vehicles in existence are expendable vehicles that are only capable of one-way trips to space. A number of companies are at work to develop reusable launch vehicles that could be used to carry people to space and potentially enable the development of a commercial space tourism industry.
When will my family and I be able to fly into space, and how much will it cost?
The establishment of a space tourism industry depends on the development of vehicles capable of launching people into space, returning them to Earth, and being turned around quickly for another launch. Any such vehicle will have to be designed with reliability, safety, and comfort in mind. Many companies are at work to develop such vehicles. AST can predict neither when a private passenger-carrying vehicle might become operational nor what a trip on the vehicle might cost. These decisions will be based on the schedules and business plans of the vehicle developers and operators in question.
I know that the Space Shuttle launches from Florida. Is that where commercial launches also occur?
Some do. But there are several launch sites available for commercial launches in the United States. The two sites used most frequently are Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida (located on the same piece of land from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where the Shuttle launches) and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Both of these are government-owned launch facilities and are also used for non-Shuttle launches of government-owned satellites. Commercial and government launches can also take place from any of several non-federal launch sites, or "spaceports." These include the California Spaceport at Vandenberg Air Force Base; Spaceport Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station; the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia; Mojave Air and Space Port in California; Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska; the Oklahoma Spaceport, Burns Flat, Oklahoma; and Spaceport America, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Are launch sites built where they are for special reasons?
Yes, with the two most important reasons being access to useful orbits and public safety.
What was the first licensed non-federal spaceport? How many exist now?
California Spaceport received the first-ever license for the operation of a non-federal spaceport in 1996. Today, seven non-federal spaceports exist in the United States.
How can I get my company logo put onto the side of a commercial launch vehicle in exchange for launch sponsorship?
The U.S. government, including AST, cannot provide guidance on this matter, other than that you would have to take it up directly with launching companies.
How can I get a job in the commercial space transportation industry?
The future success of the space launch industry depends on the talents of aerospace and other types of engineers and scientists as well as business people. Strong academic performance and a degree in an engineering, scientific, or business discipline from an accredited college or university are essential. Inquiries about positions in the industry should be directed to aerospace companies.
How do I get a launch license?
Learn more about FAA's launch licensing process.
To whom do FAA's launch regulations and licensing procedures apply?
FAA's launch regulations and licenses are required for all commercial launches taking place within U.S. borders as well as for launches being conducted abroad by U.S. entities. In general, FAA does not license launches by U.S. government organizations. In addition, certain classes of small rockets are exempt from licensing requirements. Please see FAA/AST's licensing requirements for a list of such exemptions.
