The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday that it will no longer issue Commercial Space Astronaut Wings and will instead recognise on its website individuals who reach space. The astronaut wings it is referring to are pins that are given to individuals who fly to space in private spacecraft. Jeff Bezos (of Blue Origin), Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin Galactic) and Mike Melville—who became the first private astronaut to fly beyond the Karman Line (recognised as the edge of space) in 2004—are all recognised by the FAA’s Commercial Space Astronaut Wings program which recognises commercial pilots and crew that have reached an altitude of at least 50 statute miles above the surface of the Earth. What is the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program? The program comes under the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 and was designed to recognize pilots and flight crew who furthered the FAA’s mission to promote the development of vehicles designed to carry humans into space. It was created by FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation’s former Associate Administrator, the late Patti Grace Smith. “With three commercial space companies now licensed by the FAA to fly spaceflight participants, and companies conducting operations, her vision is largely fulfilled,” FAA said. In order to be eligible for the astronaut wings, which is essentially a pin, the individual must meet the requirements for flight crew qualifications and training. Moreover, they should demonstrate having been on a flight beyond 50 miles above the surface of the Earth on a licensed or permitted launch or re-entry vehicle. They should also demonstrate activities during flight that were essential to public safety or should have contributed to human space flight safety. Why is the FAA ending the practice? “With the advent of the commercial space tourism era, starting in 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will now recognize individuals who reach space on its website instead of issuing Commercial Space Astronaut Wings. Any individual who is on an FAA-licensed or permitted launch and reaches 50 statute miles above the surface of the Earth will be listed on the site,” the FAA said in a statement. Access to space has become easier with private companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic among others working to provide flights to non-astronauts, although at a heavy cost. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox For instance, billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday reached the International Space Station (ISS) for a 12-day trip during which time he will complete 100 tasks in space, including playing a game of badminton. Maezawa and another space tourist, Yozo Hirano, who will document the billionaire’s space flight, made the trip as part of a contract between the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the private company Space Adventures. Before this, in October, “Challenge” became the first feature length film to be shot in space. Branson, who is the owner of Virgin Galactic, reached the edge of space in July along with three employees from his company.
