FAA Definition Of ‘Astronaut’ Officially Changed On Day Of Bezos Flight

When Jeff Bezos and three others took to space in a Blue Origin craft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put in place a new regulation that redefines what an astronaut is and it looks like Bezos did not fall into the category. Considering most people who go to space are contracted to do so, it’s been easy to identify flight crews as astronauts in the past. However, with the possibility of hundreds of more civilians flying into space in the near future, it makes sense that the FAA has made this change

Blue Origin launched last week carrying Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk and a last-minute passenger named Oliver Daemen. The flight that took off from Texas was the first human flight from the company, marking a large accomplishment for not only those who passed the 62-mile mark into space, but also the craft itself, since previous flights had all been unmanned. Though passengers were on board, the flight was completely autonomous with every adjustment made by the craft.

Unfortunately for Bezos, that one little detail means everything. According to the FAA, there is a new regulation to define what an astronaut is, specifying that a crew has to fly into space and actually do something to contribute to the flight itself. The nature of an autonomous flight, according to how the FAA has laid out its criteria, disqualifies Bezos and the team from being awarded the coveted FAA’s Commercial Space Astronaut Wings. The regulation change came on the very day that the Blue Origin flight took place.

How One Qualifies For Astronaut Wings

The FAA lays out three criteria for eligibility. First, members need to meet flight crew qualifications as defined by the FAA. Since some members on the flight were not contractors or employees of Blue Origin, the team cannot technically be considered a ‘crew.’ Second, the craft has to pass the 50-mile line above sea level in order to be considered in space. Of course, Blue Origin has been known to be a stickler for this rule, even going so far as to suggest Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flight did not technically enter space, due to only going to the 50-mile mark and not the 62-mile Kármán line which Blue Origin considers to be true space. The craft definitely passed the 50-mile line, so there’s that.

Lastly, anyone looking to be eligible for Astronaut Wings needs to have demonstrated “activities during the flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.” Now, this may be an easier requirement to meet if there were pilots on board, considering any maneuver or slight adjustment in trajectory could possibly be considered an “activity essential to human space flight safety.” Unfortunately for Bezos, however, that didn’t happen on this particular trip into space.

Source/Images: FAA, Blue Origin

About The Author

Andrew Romero
(86 Articles Published)

Andrew started writing about the technology industry in 2014, combining photo and video skills to provide news and reviews for every consumer. During that time Andrew covered events like CES in Las Vegas. In 2019 Andrew moved into biomedical machining until he moved with his wife to Northern California. Now he’s back to writing about tech and couldn’t be happier.

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