FAA to discontinue program to issue wings to everyone who flies in space
The FAA has decided to end an on-again-off-again program, only started in 2005, that issue wings to everyone who makes their first flight into space on a private commercial spacecraft.
he Federal Aviation Administration will stop awarding commercial astronaut wings at the end of this year, five months after it revised the criteria for receiving the wings.
The FAA announced Dec. 10 that it will award wings to all non-government individuals that flew on FAA-licensed commercial vehicles to date in 2021, as well as those who fly on any remaining launches through the end of the year. However, it will not award wings to anyone, either crew members or spaceflight participants, that flies on FAA-licensed vehicles after this year.
The program was merely a public relations effort designed to give an honor to tourists and others who flew on non-governmental space missions. The FAA is now getting out of that business, leaving it to the commercial space companies themselves.
That part of the reasons is that the FAA was finding it difficult to come up with a good criteria for awarding the wings based on the increasing numbers of people now flying on private missions is actually wonderful. It means going into space is becoming more routine.
The FAA has decided to end an on-again-off-again program, only started in 2005, that issue wings to everyone who makes their first flight into space on a private commercial spacecraft.
he Federal Aviation Administration will stop awarding commercial astronaut wings at the end of this year, five months after it revised the criteria for receiving the wings.
The FAA announced Dec. 10 that it will award wings to all non-government individuals that flew on FAA-licensed commercial vehicles to date in 2021, as well as those who fly on any remaining launches through the end of the year. However, it will not award wings to anyone, either crew members or spaceflight participants, that flies on FAA-licensed vehicles after this year.
The program was merely a public relations effort designed to give an honor to tourists and others who flew on non-governmental space missions. The FAA is now getting out of that business, leaving it to the commercial space companies themselves.
That part of the reasons is that the FAA was finding it difficult to come up with a good criteria for awarding the wings based on the increasing numbers of people now flying on private missions is actually wonderful. It means going into space is becoming more routine.