US DOT renews Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee

The U.S. Department of Transportation is renewing the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) through June 2023.

COMSTAC members lend their expertise to provide advice and recommendations to the Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on a host of topics. From safety and technology to operations and the international competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, members provide useful and relevant information.

The committee is currently charged with proposing updates to FAA’s human spaceflight guidance materials and recommending a spaceport grant funding mechanism, among several other tasks.

The role of COMSTAC is critical as the pace of commercial space operations quickens. In 2020, the FAA licensed 41 commercial space launches and reentries, the most in the agency’s history. For 2021, that number could reach 50 or more.

COMSTAC was first established in 1984. It is composed of approximately 22 members with experience in commercial space transportation. Members are appointed by the Secretary of Transportation.