Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance

1. Federal Aviation Administration Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance COMSTAC RLV Working Group Chuck Larsen May 25, 2005

2. Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance • Background on Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance • Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance Team • Purpose, Scope and Applicability of Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance • RLV Maintenance • RLV Support Personnel • RLV Operations

3. Background on Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance • Commercial Space Launch Act of 1998 • Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) developed a White Paper on Commercial Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Operations and Maintenance Considerations – 1999 • AST developed and published a Final Rule on Commercial Space Transportation RLV and Reentry Licensing Regulations – 2000 • AST developed and published the Draft Guidelines for Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance - 2003 • Preliminary Guidelines for Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance were developed and published by AST - 2004

4. Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance Team • AST – Chuck Larsen, Team Lead • Jim Kabbara, Charles Huet, Yvonne Tran – Maintenance • Sherman Council, Shelia Helton-Ingram, B.K. Lunde – Support Personnel • Michelle Murray, Lyndon Bonaparte, Brian Campbell - Operations • Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Space Transportation Integrated Product Team • Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee’s Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group • Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and Ferrell and Associates

5. Purpose, Scope and Applicability of Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance • Purpose • Provide industry insight into AST view of important considerations for RLV Operations and Maintenance • Shows what AST may expect to review in a permit or license application • Scope • Addresses RLV operations and maintenance for suborbital and orbital RLV’s, with and without humans onboard • Though developers may find Guide helpful, many years of flight experience required before RLV O&M regulations developed • Applicability – information applies to any RLV operator licensed or permitted under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 701

6. RLV Maintenance • Maintenance Program Plan • Maintenance Tracking System • Maintenance Requirements Flow Down to Sub-tiers • Configuration Management System • Inspection Schedule

7. RLV Maintenance • Changed all “shall” and “must” imperatives to “should” • A storage plan for spare parts should be developed to the extent practical as operational experience is gained • Specify preventive maintenance, staffing levels, skill levels to the extent practical as operational experience is gained • Perform maintenance in accord with standard industry practices • Tool control/calibration program if special tools used • Software ID, tracking and reporting is not required for vehicles that don’t use software • Maintenance requirements should be imposed on each subcontractor as industry matures • CMS is a recommendation not a requirement • Inspection schedule meets operational needs while ensuring public safety and updated to reflect operational history

8. RLV Support Personnel • Training Plan The RLV operator should create a support personnel training plan and maintain records that show training received. • RLV Aerospace Maintenance Technician (RAMT) • RLV Aerospace Maintenance Inspector (RAMI) • Vehicle Mission Coordinator (VMC)

9. RLV Support Personnel • Changed all “shall” and “must” imperatives to “should” • Deleted Proposed Ratings Matrix for RAMT’s and replaced with RLV Operator approval of RAMT’s • Deleted requirement for all records and related activities to be subject to FAA/AST safety approval • Changed collaboration for airspace to be with the responsible air traffic authority • Deleted the Mission Safety Organization

10. RLV Operations • Changed all “shall” imperatives to “should” • Flight Safety System-1 Vehicle should be operated such that its explosive potential on the ground will be minimized, consistent with safe vehicle operations, during any attempted landing, including aborts and contingency landings. • Flight Safety System-2 The RLV operator's ability to control the location of the instantaneous impact point (IIP) should be extremely reliable unless the IIP cannot reach a densely populated area. Note: deleted “in the event of any credible vehicle failure”

11. RLV Operations • Communications-3 The RLV operator should maintain voice communication among flight crew, ground flight control personnel, and air traffic control during licensed operations. • Structures-1 The RLV operator should not operate the vehicle beyond its analytically determined structural failure point, consistent with ensuring public safety

12. RLV Operations • Propulsion-1 The RLV operator should operate the vehicle such that safety-critical propulsion parameters, if any, are monitored and maintained within acceptable limits. • Systems Engineering-1 The RLV operator should consider using functional redundancy for safety-critical systems, and where employed, shouldhave processes and procedures for switching from primary to secondary systems.