United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2006-10-20 monographic deposited born digital 69 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-16 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16 P0b002ee18039356b f:d0716 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16 GAO-07-16 Aerospace industry Federal regulations Industrial safety Internal controls Program evaluation Program management Safety regulation Safety standards Strategic planning Transportation safety Civilian space operations Government agency oversight Space shuttles Tourism Other Written Product A62445 In 2004, the successful launches of SpaceShipOne raised the possibility of an emerging U.S. commercial space tourism industry that would make human space travel available to the public. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has responsibility for safety and industry promotion, licenses operations of commercial space launches and launch sites. To allow the industry to grow, Congress prohibited FAA from regulating crew and passenger safety before 2012, except in response to high-risk events. GAO evaluated FAA's (1) safety oversight of commercial space launches, (2) response to emerging issues, and (3) challenges in regulating and promoting space tourism and responding to competitive issues affecting the industry. GAO reviewed FAA's applicable safety oversight processes and interviewed federal and industry officials. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16.pdf GAO-07-16 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-16 Other Written Product GAO-07-16; Commercial Space Launches: FAA Needs Continued Planning and Monitoring to Oversee the Safety of the Emerging Space Tourism Industry; Aerospace industry Federal regulations Industrial safety Internal controls Program evaluation Program management Safety regulation Safety standards Strategic planning Transportation safety Civilian space operations Government agency oversight Space shuttles Tourism