(Bloomberg) -- The US Federal Aviation Administration said it licensed a record number of commercial space operations in the past year, despite accusations that its approval process is too slow and is stifling innovation.
The agency authorized 148 commercial space operations in its latest fiscal year, an increase of more than 30% from 2023, it said in a statement on Thursday. The agency also plans to update its launch and reentry licensing rule, as the number of licensed operations could more than double by 2028, it said.
Critics such as SpaceX have heaped pressure on the agency to speed up what they contend is a sluggish approval process for commercial space operations. In September, Elon Musk called on the head of the FAA to resign and claimed that government paperwork to license a launch takes longer than building the actual rocket.
The licensing framework can be traced back to President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration and what critics consider to be a botched effort to streamline commercial space regulations started in 2018.
The agency plans to establish an Aerospace Rulemaking Committee composed of members from the commercial space industry and academia to update its launch and reentry licensing rule.
“Making timely licensing determinations without compromising public safety is a top priority,” Kelvin Coleman, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the FAA, said in the statement.
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