US FAA says Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson may not yet be 'astronauts'

The US recently tightened its definition of the word “astronaut,” according to which Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson may not yet be astronauts in the eyes of the American government. The New Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules state that astronaut hopefuls must be part of the flight crew and make contributions to the flight space. Space-goers must travel 80 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, which both Bezos and Branson accomplished. However, the new rules also state that would-be astronauts must also demonstrate activities during the flight that were essential to public safety or contributed to human space flight safety. 

The updated rules now mean that Bezos and Branson may not yet be astronauts from the perspective of the US government. According to BBC, these are the first changes since the FAA wings programme began in 2004, and the updates were announced on the same day that Bezos flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket to the edge of space. In a statement, the agency said that these changes brought the wings scheme more in line with its role to protect public safety during commercial space flights. 

Now, to earn astronaut wings, one needs to be nominated for the Commercial Astronaut Wings programme. There are two other ways to earn the astronauts wings in the US - through the military or NASA. The new order notes that honorary awards can be given based on merit - at the discretion of the FAA's associate administrator. It is worth noting that the wings spotted on Bezos and Branson following their flights were custom-made pins by their own companies. 

What’s next? 

Meanwhile, on July 11, Branson flew on-board Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo to the edge of space as a test before allowing customers aboard next year. Bezos, on the other hand, flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket to the edge of space, along with three other crew members. At the peak of the flight path, the four were weightless for about 180 seconds. The passengers parachuted back down to the ground 11 minutes later. 

According to CNN, now, Blue Origin may conduct up to two more flights for paying customers in 2021. Virgin Galactic, on the other hand, plans to fly one more test flight before beginning to offer seats in early 2022 to the roughly 600 people who have already bought tickets for between $200,000 and $250,000. The company is also accepting reservations for new tickets that are expected to sell at an even higher price point. 

(Image: AP)