Report to COMSTAC of the RLV Working Group

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Report to COMSTAC of the RLV Working Group
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Discussion Items

• Update Presentation by FAA/AST on IAF Commercial
  Spaceflight Safety Committee
• Presentation by NASA on Commercial Crew
  Initiative Status Insight / Oversight Approach

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IAF Commercial Spaceflight Safety Committee

• FAA/AST formed Committee in 2008.
• Purpose to identify and discuss issues
  aboutsafety and regulation of commercial space
  transportationin an international context
• Goal exchange information among international
  participants discuss safety and regulatory
  policy issues
• Not to create regulations or standards
• Chair FAA/AST
• Co-Chairs are Spaceport Sweden and Virgin
  Galactic
• There are approximately 50 members on the
  committee

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Highlights of the 3rd Committee Meetingat IAC
Prague October 2010

• 23 attendees from 18 different organizations
  (commercial, government, academia)
• Initial themes for future papers and workshops
• Do air or space regulations apply and who applies
  them?
• Space and air traffic management
• Spaceports
• Reentry issues and point to point travel.
• Add medical issues related to safety if no
  conflict with other committees.
• The committee agreed not to tackle environmental
  and technology export issues (such as ITAR).

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Highlights (continued)

• Explore holding two workshops on legal issues
• In 2011 distinct from the IAC, in North America
  Europe
• Identify and understand potential international
  legal issues for commercial spaceports and
  vehicle operators
• Significant interest in replicating U.S. regime
• Tailoring based on national legislative legal
  circumstances
• Some European nations working to avoid 2012
  deadline
• Balance helping international customers of U.S.
  developersand U.S. spaceports
• International Space Transportation Association
• Joint panel held in Prague w/ Space
  Transportation Solutions Innovations Committee
• Separate joint panels in Cape Town at IAC 2011

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NASA Commercial Crew Insight/Oversight

• Commercial Crew still an Initiative, not a
  Program
• Nothing written in stone
• Dual goals of meeting NASAs need for ISS crew
  transport non-NASA market stimulation require
  a different approach than traditional programs
• NASA did extensive survey of lessons learned
  from a variety of different programs to craft
  this parallel track approach

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NASA CCT Insight / Oversight Approach

• Insight is defined as the capacity to discern the
  true nature of the projects efforts to design,
  develop, test and operate the Crew Transportation
  System (CTS).
• Insight will be modeled as a cooperative
  partnership
• Oversight is the watchful and responsible care
  and management of the CPs development, test and
  operations efforts. The primary elements of
  oversight require government approval and/or
  direction.
• Approving / guiding the completion of
  pre-determined milestones and potential issues
  leading to CTS Certification (proactive insight
  team communication to oversight).

The scope and amount of insight/oversight for
specific CPs will vary depending on human
spaceflight experience, hardware performance
history and proposed design risk.
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Insight / Oversight Tenets

• There will be a stronger reliance on the
  commercial providers to develop a safe, reliable
  vehicle.
• NASA will have in-depth insight of the vehicle
  design through NASA personnel who are embedded in
  the contractors facility.
• Insight should allow more efficient, penetrating,
  clearer understanding of CPs system than
  traditional requirements accounting management
  of deliverables.
• Certifying the vehicle system will involve use of
  requirements and standards. NASA will properly
  tailor impose these on all the providers.
• NASA will not manage the CPs engineering
  processes, e.g. Engineering Review Boards.
• This approach has been highly effective in the
  past in ensuring reliable high-valued launch
  vehicle/payloads and robotic spacecraft.

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Communications Path For Insight
Insight Role Expert Insight, Early Issue
Identification Recommendations

• Commercial Crew Partner

• Program
• Office

CP
Understanding Recommendations

• Insight Team

• EmbeddedInsight Team

NASA Insight Team
Penetration, Collaboration, Influence
Embedded team represents the long term presence
with the CP developing interpersonal
relationships and trust to yield significantly
greater insight.
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Communications Path For Oversight
Oversight Role Focused on efforts, activities
and data associated with crew transportation
system certification only.

• Commercial Crew Partner

• CP

Commercial Crew Partner
Program Office

• Commercial Crew Partner

• Discrete Oversight Discussions, Decisions
  Direction

• Design Recommendations

• Certification
• Evaluation

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Contact

• Bretton Alexander, Chair
• President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
• 1725 I Street, NW
• Washington, DC 20006
• 703-627-1692 cell
• Jeff Greason, Deputy Chair
• President, XCOR Aerospace
• PO Box 1163
• Mojave, CA 93502
• 661-824-4714

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