Updates to Rulemaking and Waiver Procedures and Expansion of the Equivalent Level of Safety Option

This action streamlines and improves commercial space transportation regulations' general rulemaking and petition procedures to better reflect current practice; reorganizes the regulations for clarity and flow; and allows petitioners to file their petitions to the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation electronically. Further, it expands the option to satisfy commercial space transportation requirements by demonstrating an equivalent level of safety to the regulatory requirements. These changes are necessary to ensure that the regulations regarding petitions are clear and current, and that the commercial space launch industry is more easily able to request approvals of safe alternative means of regulatory compliance.