Space Launch Activity Areas on FAA Charts Increases

The FAA is increasing pilot safety and airspace awareness by marking more space launch activity areas on navigation charts.

Adding space launch activity areas to the navigation charts used by pilots who fly visually responds to the recent and expected continued growth of commercial space operations. All 12 FAA-licensed spaceports, and other federal and private launch and reentry sites, are represented on the charts by a rocket symbol. These areas are in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia.

When a commercial space vehicle is scheduled to fly, FAA uses regulatory and operational means to segregate launch and reentry operations from other flights in the National Airspace System (NAS) to ensure safety. Relatively large volumes of airspace are closed for extended periods of time, causing other users to incur delays and other inefficiencies. As the frequency and complexity of commercial space activities continue to increase, the existing approach will become increasingly unsustainable.

The FAA and the Commercial Space Transportation (CST) industry are working together to minimize disruption by moving from accommodation to integration. The agency is working on new procedures and technologies to safely reduce the amount of airspace that must be closed in advance of the operation, quickly respond to contingencies and release airspace so that it can be used by other flights as soon as it is no longer needed. In the future, airspace will be managed dynamically, safely minimizing inefficiencies and paving the way for routine access to low Earth orbit and beyond through the NAS.

Pilots can download the free charts and reference the FAA Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide for more information. In addition, the FAA encourages pilots to check the NOTAM database for any Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) issued to divert air traffic from where space operations are scheduled.

In 2020, the FAA licensed 41 commercial space launches and reentries, the most in the agency’s history. For 2021, that number could reach 50 or more. Pilots also need to be aware of NASA, military and other government launches that the FAA does not license.

(Source: FAA news release. Image provided)