During the Senate hearing, the Transportation Department said it would take a “very light approach” to regulations under the White House’s new plan for space activities.
Kelvin Coleman, the Federal Aviation Administration’s deputy administrator for commercial space transportation, expressed senators’ concerns about the lengthy process of obtaining launch licenses for crewed and orbiting transport missions. Coleman explained that in-orbit missions do not require the same level of safety and orbital analysis as launches because they pose different risks to the public. He emphasized that a light-touch approach will be adopted in these activities.
Officials from NASA, the Departments of Commerce and Defense, and Coleman defended the National Space Council’s proposed mission authorization legislation that would split regulatory authority between the Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce. The plan faced backlash from the industry.
Though the hearing mainly focused on the White House’s proposal, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) used it as an opportunity to prod the administration again to move faster to authorize Starship flights, the second of which was delayed by an environmental review since the launch pad had to be rebuilt.
“I’m not advocating for a wholesale repeal of our environmental laws or [the National Environmental Policy Act], I’m just arguing for them not to be applied in a dumbass way that slows down commercial space,” Cruz said.