The Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) is an advisory board within the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Established in 1984, COMSTAC provides the FAA administrator with information, advice, and recommendations on matters concerning the U.S. commercial space transportation industry. Its membership includes senior executives from the commercial space sector, satellite industry representatives, government officials, and experts from insurance, finance, and legal services. COMSTAC evaluates industry developments, discusses industry and government interactions, and suggests approaches for federal policies.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
COMSTAC’s 2023 report recommended that the FAA accept safety analyses performed by federal ranges to reduce FAA review resources and operator burden.
COMSTAC members unanimously recommended moving AST out of the FAA to the Secretary of Transportation.
The FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) unanimously approved a recommendation on 2024-04-23 to move the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) out of the FAA and make it a standalone organization directly under the Secretary of Transportation.
At the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) meeting on May 3, 2023, Kelvin Coleman stated that the FAA has had 'good conversations' with the NTSB about the MOA updates.
Joel Graham from the Senate Commerce Committee stated at the COMSTAC meeting on May 4, 2023, that he welcomed the collaboration between the NTSB and FAA on commercial spaceflight investigations.
Sen. Ted Cruz attended the Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) meeting on 2018-06-14 and is working on commercial space legislation addressing oversight of non-traditional commercial space activities.