SpaceX Gets First Private FAA Space Reentry License 108
coondoggie sends in a Network World story that begins "Space Exploration Technologies (Space X) got the first-ever Federal Aviation Administration license allowing the reentry to Earth of a privately developed spacecraft. The license was needed because the Space X Dragon space capsule is scheduled to launch atop Space X's Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 7 and return to earth. The Launch of the rocket had already been approved by the FAA. The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation noted that it has licensed over 200 successful launches."
Re:A license? (Score:4, Informative)
Yes and if you destroy someones ship in international waters it is also covered by treaty and international law just like space...
But this rocket is going to transit US air space to get into orbit, it is also owned by a US company, it is launching from the US, it is using the US eastern test range, it is flying under a US government contract, and I believe will land in US. The US has the right and frankly the obligation to certify that this flight will not be an epic mess up.
So yea the FAA is going to deal with this.
Re:A license? (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah, except... nobody owns space by international treaty anyway. So if a satellite malfunctions (or a space ship collides with one), legally it's like international waters.
Articles VI and VII of The Treaty [unoosa.org] disagree.
Which - for reference - is different from the law of the sea [un.org].