The Air Force and the FAA denied permission for Varda Space's capsule to return and land on Earth.
  • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.socialEnglish
    38·
    1 year ago

    I wasn’t aware you even needed permission to reenter a spacecraft, just thought you needed it to launch one. How does that work then, would one need permission from the country who’s airspace your craft ends up in, or the one one’s organization is based in? If the former, could they get around this by re-entering it over international waters?

    • Sasquatch58@lemmy.worldEnglish
      15·
      1 year ago

      The FAA designates 18,000 ft to flight level 600, which is 60,000 ft above sea level, as class A airspace. Any aircraft needs explicit permission to enter class A, so that’s normally only when an airliner is climbing to cruising altitude, but it would also occur when a spacecraft is descending through 60,000 ft.

      Other countries, I don’t know exactly, but they all function fairly similarly.

    • Iusedtobeanadventurer@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      Me neither.

      Makes sense though. If the reentry is botched you’re essentially aiming a ~300lb projectile (or a bunch of tinier projectiles) in this case at who knows what at terminal velocity.

      Launches at least control where the thing leaves from and are designed to fallout over non inhabited areas in the event of a botched takeoff.

    • postmateDumbass@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      I guess if you don’t pay gravity then it won’t pull your satellite back down.

      They can’t quanitize gravity after decades of effort but they sure can monetize it.