The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has urged US Congress to start work on the safe integration of commercial space operations into the country’s national airspace.
The organisation has also urged the lawmakers to ensure that safety is the highest priority for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
ALPA president Tim Canoll said: “As the US airline industry works to meet future passenger and shipper demand while spaceflight operations continue to increase, the aerospace industry must work together to create policies, regulations, and procedures to share resources efficiently and most of all, safely.”
According to ALPA, the commercial aviation and space operations sectors can achieve growth and success by safely and efficiently sharing the national airspace system (NAS).
In a newly published whitepaper, ALPA said that on the day that SpaceX launched its largest rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 563 flights were delayed and 62 additional miles were added to flights operating in the region.
The whitepaper, titled ‘Addressing the Challenges to Aviation from Evolving Space Transportation’, is based on data provided by FAA.
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By GlobalDataThe data also showed that last year the US authorised only 23 commercial launches, but the number is likely to increase in future.
Data from FAA has also revealed that a space launch in Florida resulted in flight delays of up to 23 minutes, airspace reroutes of up to 84 miles, and thousands of pounds of extra fuel burned, compared with similar days with no launch activity.
Citing the extent and complexity of space transportation operations, ALPA has urged lawmakers to improve aviation infrastructure.
It also said that a venue should be established for the aviation and commercial space representatives to effectively communicate and collaborate on issues.
