Evolving Space Weather Needs Within the FAA

As part of the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is charged with providing the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. Growth in aircraft operations throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) coupled with emerging commercial space launch and reentry vehicles for suborbital and orbital operations establishes the need for evolving space weather products and services.

Over the last several years, the FAA has been working to establish operational space weather requirements for international air navigation services, conducting bi-lateral activities with the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Administration and working with stakeholders to provide outreach on space weather hazards to aircraft and launch and reentry vehicles.

Recent direction from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has led to development of a National Space Weather Strategy and Space Weather Action Plan designed to enable federal agencies to prepare, mitigate, and respond to a major space weather event. The FAA in collaboration with other agencies such as DOC, NASA, and DoD will begin preparing for and implementing these actions.

This presentation will focus on the activities within the FAA that are being done to meet evolving space weather requirements to ensure the safest, most efficient, aerospace system in the world.