Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, has signed a non-binding agreement with French space agency president Jean-Yves Le Gall for both countries to conduct research and development efforts on the safety of commercial orbital space transportation.“The primary focus of this new partnership is to understand each other’s safety regulations and to evaluate safety techniques for the launch and/or re-entry of commercial space vehicles,†Huerta said Tuesday.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the memorandum of cooperation between the U.S. and France aims to facilitate the “exchange of information on programs and projects of mutual interest, carrying out joint analyses, and coordination of research activities relating to safety and the environment.â€
Huerta and Le Gall said they expect the MOC to help advance collaboration between FAA and France in the development of regulations for the operation of spaceports and reusable suborbital vehicles.
