Surface to Space Integration: Mixed Use of the Aerospace Domain

Commercial space launch and reentry operations have been increasing in frequency. This increase will strain the shared use of the national and international airspace. Commercial airlines, business and private aviation and the U.S. military have worked closely with the FAA, NASA, and the national security establishment to accommodate the current launch needs.

However, even the current schedule, with fewer than three launches per month on average, already exacts an economic toll on these operators, their passengers and customers as huge swaths of airspace are closed to accommodate launch and reentry. Conversely, increased diversity in air operations also pose greater risk to space operation cancellations.

In this paper we establish a risk analysis framework focusing on strategic, operational, and tactical challenges associated with the shared use of airspace and present an architecture for future surface to space operations which addresses these challenges through policies, procedures, and practices. In creating this framework, we identify some of the seminal questions for the successful development of this new industry, commercial aerospace.