FAA removes rolling cap on aircraft crossing launch debris hazard zones
The FAA dropped the 6,412-aircraft annual limit on transits through outer launch and re-entry hazard areas.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has changed its safety policy to allow more aircraft to fly through airspace where they face a higher risk from falling space debris, The Air Current reported on 6 October.
The FAA had capped the number of aircraft allowed to cross the outer portions of the hazard areas it draws around each launch and re-entry at 6,412 per 12-month period. That cap gave the agency 95% confidence that no fatal accident from launch or re-entry debris would occur in 80 years.
In an 8 June memo, the FAA's Executive Safety Council removed that rolling limit, which had been a cornerstone of its acceptable level of risk policy. Aircraft are still barred from the most hazardous portions of these zones.
The memo came four days before SpaceX listed on the Nasdaq. The FAA told The Air Current the decision was not connected to the offering. The agency licensed 33 commercial launches in 2018 and 199 in 2025, 161 of them SpaceX operations.