iStock/dima_zel Photo FAA, FCC space-launch actions could significantly affect vertical aviation Policy shift regarding spaceports and spectrum for launch and reentry poses implications for rotorcraft operations, flight testing and certification, and UAS use. By Amber Harrison The United States isn’t simply trying to approve more rocket launches. It’s beginning to redesign the infrastructure around commercial space transportation. Three recent actions reveal the bigger picture: • The FAA is examining new spaceport locations and the creation of “priority airspace for critical space launch corridors.” • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering how to provide launch and reentry operators with more-reliable spectrum, including whether they should receive primary or co-primary rights in certain bands. • The Commercial Space Federation has separately asked the FCC to replace the existing flight test frequency coordination process with direct coordination and an automated, near–real-time database. These actions address three interdependent requirements for high-cadence launches: • A place to launch • Protected airspace through which to launch or reenter • Reliable spectrum to track, command, and receive telemetry from the vehicle. The stated trajectory is remarkable: More than 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030 and potentially 10,000 launches and reentries annually by 2035. At that cadence, launches can no longer be handled exclusively as occasional activities requiring individually negotiated accommodations. The federal government is exploring a more repeatable, automated, and potentially prioritized system. For aviation, the critical word is “priority.” The FAA is asking what priority airspace should mean for launch corridors. The FCC is asking whether launch operations should receive greater spectrum priority relative to incumbent users. For helicopters and other vertical lift aircraft, the question is not whether the United States should expand its commercial space capabilities. The question is how launch priority will be defined and who bears the operational consequences. Helicopters frequently operate in areas typical for space launches or reentry. They also conduct air medical, firefighting, law enforcement, utility, search-and-rescue, and disaster response missions that can’t always be delayed or rerouted. A launch restriction that creates a modest detour for an airliner could prevent a helicopter from reaching the only location where its mission can be performed. Higher launch cadence may also bring more low-altitude unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations supporting space operations. Critical launch corridors could ultimately improve airspace management if they produce smaller, more precise, more predictable hazard areas. Automated spectrum coordination could similarly benefit both launch providers and aircraft manufacturers conducting flight testing. But such modernization needs guardrails to prevent unreasonable airspace restrictions. Aviation, particularly the low-altitude vertical flight community, needs to participate now, before the meaning of “priority” is decided for us. Amber Harrison is VAI’s director of regulatory affairs.
