14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) are ecstatic to announce that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently approved their spacecraft reentry license.
What this means is that Dragon space capsule that the company is developing under an agreement with NASA is now clear to reenter Earth's atmosphere following its launch. Obtaining this license is critical for reusable space vehicles.
The document is only necessary for spacecrafts and not for all rockets necessarily. The FAA gave the company permission to reenter the atmosphere for one year starting yesterday, November 22.
Thus far, the Administration has sanctioned more than 200 commercial flights carried out on a variety of launch vehicles, but this is the first time this happens for a reentry attempt. SpaceX is currently getting ready to test the Dragon capsule for the first time.
The take-off itself will take place on December 7 at the earliest, officials with the corporation announce. The capsule will be delivered to LEO aboard the Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system, which was also designed and built by SpaceX.
The business has an agreement with NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which calls for it to develop means of delivering supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as possible.
In a statement released to the media, officials at the American space agency praised the FAA decision and congratulated the company on its opportunity.
“Congratulations to the SpaceX team for receiving the Federal Aviation Administration's first-ever commercial license to reenter a spacecraft from Earth orbit,” writes NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
“With this license in hand, SpaceX can proceed with its launch of the Dragon capsule. The flight of Dragon will be an important step toward commercial cargo delivery to the International Space Station. NASA wishes SpaceX every success with the launch,” he adds.
“Milestones are an important part of space exploration and SpaceX achieved a very important one today. I congratulate SpaceX on this landmark achievement and wish them the best with their launch of the Dragon capsule,” adds Doug Cooke.
He holds an appointment as the associate administrator of the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The official adds that SpaceX has planned both Falcon 9 and the Dragon capsule as possible vehicles for astronauts.