FAA License Review Process
A U.S. Citizen or an entity organized under the laws of the U.S. or any State must obtain a license to launch or reenter a vehicle inside or outside of the U.S., or to operate a launch or reentry site inside or outside of the U.S. Therefore, the Authority must apply for a Reentry Site Operator License to operate HSV as a commercial space reentry site, and Sierra Space must apply for a Vehicle Operator License to conduct reentries at HSV with its Dream Chaser vehicle. The regulatory requirements pertaining to site and vehicle operators are described in 14 CFR Chapter III, Parts 400-460. For more information, visit the FAA Commercial Space Transportation Licensing Process page.
As described below, there are three main phases of the FAA's license review process:
-
Pre-application Consultation
The FAA's process for reviewing license applications begins with pre-application consultation, where the FAA coordinates with the Authority and Sierra Space on the planning of the proposed project before an application is submitted. The applications are both currently in this process.
-
Application Evaluation
Once the Authority and Sierra Space submit their complete applications, the FAA will start the evaluation process. The FAA conducts several reviews during the application evaluation process before making a determination on the license: this includes a safety review, an environmental review, airspace integration, a policy review, a reentry site location review (specific to the Reentry Site Operator License), a payload review (specific to the Vehicle Operator License), and a financial responsibility review (specific to the Vehicle Operator License).
If granted, the Reentry Site Operator License would remain in effect for five years and the Vehicle Operator License would remain in effect until completion of all activities authorized by the Reentry Site Operator License or five years, whichever occurs first. The Authority or Sierra Space could each request to renew their license by submitting an application to the FAA.
-
Operations and Compliance Monitoring
If the Reentry Site Operator License and/or Vehicle Operator License are issued, there will be ongoing compliance monitoring and safety inspections.