Leaders at the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration envision a gradual transition period if the military transfers responsibility for several space traffic management initiatives to the FAA, Space News reported Tuesday.
Jeff Foust writes that the head of the FAA’s commercial space transportation office and a U.S. Strategic Command general have suggested the crawl, walk, run approach for the transition.
That method aims to prepare the FAA to manage safety-related space situational awareness data that include warnings on potential collisions between satellites and objects in orbit to the non-military satellite operators, according to the report.
George Nield, FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation, said the approach also aims to support key stakeholders to understand the ideas, progress, and products and services provided by DoD.
