Submitted for: The Seventh IAASS Conference – Space Safety is no Accident

Abstract

The International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) Suborbital Safety Technical Committee (SS TC) is represented by 20 individuals from Suborbital companies and IAASS members with related expertise, as well as ‘listening’ members from regulatory authorities/agencies. The SS TC has been working on safety guidelines to address the various ‘gaps’ and issues for the emerging Suborbital Industry. At the 6^th IAASS Conference the SS TC presented the initial set of draft guidelines. These were ratified at a workshop in January 2013 and were produces as Issue 1 of the SS TC’s Guidance Manual. Since then the TC members have continued to work on the agreed next set of guidelines and these included: framework for suborbital vertical launch vehicles, suborbital survival systems & equipment, safety guidelines for hybrid propulsion systems, integration of suborbital flights into the Air Traffic Management System, suborbital pressure vessels and suborbital software/hardware requirements definition. This paper presents a summary of the Guidance Manual at (Draft) Issue 2.

Abbreviations & Acronyms

ATM:

Air Traffic Management

CAA:

Civil Aviation Authority

DMR:

Design for Minimum Risk

EASA:

European Aviation Safety Agency

EC:

European Commission

FAA-AST:

Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation

FS:

Factor of Safety

IAASS:

International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety

ICAO:

International Civil Aviation Organisation

ISSB:

International Space Safety Board

MDP:

Maximum Design Pressure

N2O:

Nitrous Oxide

SOA:

Sub-orbital and Orbital Aircraft

SMS:

Safety Management System

SS:

Suborbital Safety

STS:

Space Tourism Society

TC:

Technical Committee

UK:

United Kingdom

US:

United States

VTOL:

Vertical Take-Off and Landing