Space

Commercial spaceflight training provider receives FAA safety approval

Commercial spaceflight training provider receives FAA safety approval
Commercial spaceflight training provider Waypoint 2 Space has received FAA approval for its training programs
Commercial spaceflight training provider Waypoint 2 Space has received FAA approval for its training programs
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Commercial spaceflight training provider Waypoint 2 Space has received FAA approval for its training programs
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Commercial spaceflight training provider Waypoint 2 Space has received FAA approval for its training programs

Individuals who dream of becoming astronauts will soon be able to buy training for exactly that purpose. Spaceflight training provider Waypoint 2 Space has been awarded safety approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its training programs which are due to begin this year. According to the company, it is the only US-based organization that will be providing,"fully comprehensive and immersive spaceflight training programs for both suborbital and orbital space."

The FAA approval allows the company to offer its training services to prospective astronauts. Training programs will be delivered at NASA's Johnson Space Center and have been put together by individuals who have developed training programs for NASA astronauts and Air Force pilots. There are three levels of training available: Spaceflight Fundamentals, Sub-Orbital Training and Orbital Training.

The Spaceflight Fundamentals program is due to begin in April 2014 and will cost participants US$45,000. The program comprises twelve courses and takes seven days to complete. Topics covered include reentry G-forces, micro-gravity, mission control operations, space suit operations and crew resource management.

Participants in the Sub-Orbital Training program will spend three days in a sub-orbital space environment learning about and experiencing the weightlessness and G-forces associated with spaceflight and their effects on the body.

The highest level training program, Orbital Training, comprises an eight to twelve-week course and includes a stay of 10 or more days on an orbital spacecraft. The program is designed to prepare participants for the orbital space environment and covers scenarios such as spatial disorientation, emergency depressurization procedures, vehicle malfunctions and contingency operations.

"This achievement is an important milestone for us and for the commercial spaceflight industry as a whole," says Kevin Heath, Chief Executive Officer of Waypoint 2 Space. "The FAA is working very hard to assure that space vehicles, launch sites and training programs are the safest they can be and we believe this safety approval for our programs is another step in that direction."

Have a look at the Waypoint 2 Space's promo video below.

Source: Waypoint 2 Space

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