The Federal Aviaton Administration hopes to complete a reorganization effort for its Office of Commercial Space Transportation as the unit continues to expand its workforce, Space News reported Monday. AST is responsible for licensing operations for commercial launches and reentries. The office currently has 97 personnel and is authorized to hire up to 108 people.
Wayne Monteith, associate administrator of AST, noted during a recent teleconference that the office has expanded its staff by 40 percent since 2012. He added that while the office has ramped up its hiring efforts, the workload also increased tenfold.
Monteith’s comments come after the FAA started accepting industry feedback on plans to update the agency’s regulations on commercial launch licensing procedures in May.
