Commercial astronaut

• 1. Origins And Creation

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  The Federal Aviation Administration launched the commercial astronaut designation in 2004 to promote commercial innovation for spaceflight. This new category allowed non-astronaut people who flew into space to receive official recognition. Before this moment, professional space travelers were sponsored and trained exclusively by governments. Military branches or civilian space agencies handled all human spaceflight efforts until that point. The first sub-orbital flight by the privately funded Scaled Composites Tier One program occurred in 2004. That event created the commercial astronaut category as a distinct legal and cultural concept. The FAA began awarding Commercial Astronaut Wings to pilots who demonstrated safe flights beyond fifty statute miles above Earth's surface.

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• 2. Regulatory Frameworks

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  Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 established the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Companies needed launch licenses for vehicles but crewed commercial flight licensing was not considered at that time. Draft guidelines issued by the FAA in February 2005 addressed vehicle and crew certifications. No formal regulatory guidance exists yet for issuing a Commercial Astronaut Certificate. An interim measure involved awarding wings to commercial pilots demonstrating requisite proficiency. Minimum standards include an instrument rating and second-class medical certificate issued within twelve months prior to qualifying flight. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 460 defines flight crew qualifications and training requirements. These rules ensure public safety during commercial space operations.

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• 3. Wings Program Design

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  The emblem for the first set of FAA Commercial Astronaut Wings issued in 2004 featured a green globe on a blue background. Three-prong astronaut symbol sat superimposed over the center of that globe. Yellow block text around the globe read Commercial Space Transportation in all capital letters. A gold ring outside the blue contained words Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration in black. Beginning with wings awarded for flights in 2018, design simplified to just the astronaut symbol surrounded by Commercial Space Transportation words. All elements became gold on a black background after that redesign. The FAA reconsidered the program in December 2021 due to increasing commercial space travel numbers. They decided to end the program in January 2022 despite continuing to recognize future commercial astronauts.

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• 4. Pioneering Flights

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  Mike Melvill flew SpaceShipOne for Scaled Composites on the 21st of June 2004 as the first commercial astronaut. Brian Binnie followed with flight 17P on the 31st of October 2014 aboard the same vehicle type. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo program achieved sub-orbital flight in 2018 with Beth Moses becoming the first passenger and woman to fly. Blue Origin's New Shepard launched its first passenger flight on the 20th of July 2021 carrying four participants including Wally Funk. Richard Branson flew Unity 22 on the 11th of July 2021 reaching eighty-six kilometers altitude. Mark Bezos and Jeff Bezos both flew NS-16 on the 20th of July 2021 reaching one hundred seven kilometers. William Shatner became the oldest person to have flown in space during NS-18 on the 13th of October 2021. These missions defined early commercial space travel through repeated successful launches.

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• 5. Orbital Expansion

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  SpaceX completed its first orbital private spaceflight on the 18th of September 2021 with the Inspiration4 mission. Jared Isaacman led this crew of four people into orbit at five hundred eighty-five kilometers altitude. Sian Proctor served as the first female commercial astronaut spaceship pilot for that mission. She was also the first African-American artist in space during that flight. Hayley Arceneaux became the first astronaut with a prosthesis flying alongside Christopher Sembroski. The roles and functions of people going to space expanded significantly after these events. Criteria for broader astronaut designation became open to interpretation across different organizations. FAA, U.S. military and NASA all maintain different definitions of what it means to be designated an astronaut. None fit perfectly with how Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic conduct business today.

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• 6. Notable Individuals

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  Forty-five individuals appear on the FAA list qualifying for human spaceflight recognition as of July 2022. Only thirty received actual Commercial Space Astronaut Wings before program termination. CJ Sturckow holds both NASA STS-88 wings and Commercial Astronaut wings from flight VP-03. David Mackay became the first person born in Scotland to enter space during VF-01 flight. Oliver Daemen currently remains the youngest person to have flown in space aboard NS-16. Cameron Bess and Lane Bess achieved the first parent-child spaceflight together on NS-19. Laura Shepard Churchley flew as daughter of Alan Shepard, the first U.S. astronaut. Michael Strahan joined the ranks of commercial astronauts through NS-19 mission. These figures represent diverse backgrounds including actors, CEOs, engineers and former Mercury 13 members.

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