You might think all these billionaires flying into space doesn’t affect you, but remember: These spaceships are flying in the National Airspace System, at least part of the time during their journeys.
That’s why the FAA developed a way to track a space launch or reentry vehicle in near-real time as it travels through the National Airspace System.
“This new capability increases safety for all airspace users and assists the FAA in efficiently managing air traffic during space operations,” officials said.
The Space Data Integrator (SDI) prototype automates the delivery of telemetry data to the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
“This vastly improves the FAA’s situational awareness of where the vehicle is as it travels to space or as it returns to the Earth,” FAA officials said. “In addition to existing tools, the FAA also can use SDI to manage air traffic more efficiently as a space operation progresses and address contingencies in the event of an anomaly during a mission.”
“This is a critical tool as the number of users of our already busy airspace increases,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “With this capability, we will be able to safely reopen the airspace more quickly and reduce the number of aircraft and other airspace users affected by a launch or reentry.”
Currently, the FAA has to close airspace for extended periods of time when a launch or reentry vehicle travels through the National Airspace System. SDI will allow the FAA to more dynamically manage airspace and minimize the impact on other airspace users, agency officials said.
Telemetry data provided via SDI includes vehicle position, altitude, speed, and if it deviates from its expected flight path. It also displays tracking for the vehicle during its full flight and allows the FAA to monitor whether the vehicle is performing as planned. In addition, the SDI capability is able to display and share aircraft hazard areas that may potentially contain falling debris from a launch or reentry vehicle.
Space operators share the telemetry data on a voluntary basis. SpaceX is the first company to participate and has provided data to the FAA since 2016 in the early stages of the SDI concept research and development. Other partners include Blue Origin, Firefly, and the Alaska Aerospace Corporation.
The FAA also recently began using time-based procedures and dynamic windows as tools to more efficiently manage launch or reentry operations in the National Airspace System. Both offer great promise showing the FAA reduced the length of airspace closures from an average of more than four hours per launch to just more than two hours. As the SDI capability evolves, it will help the FAA reopen the airspace even more quickly, FAA officials said.
In 2020, the FAA safely managed 45 space launches and reentries into the National Airspace System, the most in the agency’s history. For 2021, that number could exceed 70.
This is one example wherein government contributes positively to life on this planet. Imagine no coordination between the launcher and the public. Some poor unsuspecting GA pilot out for a spin could be directly in the path of a rocket on launch or re-entry and cause a horrific crash and loss of life. To which I say, Bravo FAA and the Great American Taxpayer.