Science & Tech · Space · 1 hr ago
FAA analyst Kayla Bigham works to keep commercial spaceflight safe
Kayla Bigham once hoped to become an astronaut, but learning about spaceflight emergencies led her to focus on safety.
At 27, she works as a flight-safety analyst at the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation in the United States.
She assesses rockets and reentry capsules seeking permission to fly, including the risks that falling debris could pose to the public.
Her earlier work investigating oil and gas fires and explosions gave her experience studying how failures can harm people and damage property.
The FAA’s Part 450 rules aim to ease the process for launchers seeking permission to fly, though the rules have drawn criticism from some in the industry.
Bigham says the office supports commercial spaceflight and wants the industry to succeed while keeping it safe.
Kayla Bigham is a flight-safety analyst at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
She analyzes rockets and reentry capsules seeking to fly and assesses how to protect the public from space debris in worst-case scenarios.
Bigham says she wants commercial spaceflight to succeed while ensuring it is conducted safely.
She has worked on developing Part 450 regulations, which aim to ease the burden on launchers seeking permission to fly.
Before joining the FAA, she investigated fires and gas explosions in the oil and gas industry.
- Who
- Kayla Bigham, a flight-safety analyst at the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
- What
- She assesses rockets and reentry capsules and studies how to protect the public from space debris.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. The article does not state where Bigham works.
- Why
- She wants space exploration and commercial spaceflight to succeed without compromising public safety.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
After learning about the Apollo 1 and Apollo 13 emergencies, Bigham shifted her goal from becoming an astronaut to keeping space exploration safe.
Bigham investigated fires and gas explosions in the oil and gas industry.
Bigham worked on developing Part 450 regulations for commercial launchers.
- Age
- 27
- Employer
- FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation
- Role
- Flight-safety analyst
- Regulations
- Part 450, aimed at easing the burden on launchers seeking permission to fly
- Previous work
- Investigated fires and gas explosions in the oil and gas industry
What people are saying
We want the industry to succeed. We just want to make sure it’s done safely.
Our entire office is very pro-commercial space.
Sources
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