Cape Canaveral, Florida – An all-female crew from Blue Origin recently completed a successful trip to space, marking a significant moment in commercial space travel. However, their journey has ignited a debate over what qualifies someone as an astronaut according to former federal guidelines.
While the crew, which included singer Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King, achieved a major milestone by reaching the edge of space and entering orbit, they fell short of meeting the criteria set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be officially recognized as astronauts. The FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program state that individuals must have demonstrated activities during flight that are essential to public safety or have contributed to human space flight safety to earn the title of astronaut.
Although the six accomplished women on the flight, apart from Perry and King, may have impressive backgrounds in fields like aerospace engineering, civil rights activism, and journalism, their lack of operational roles during the journey does not align with the FAA’s strict astronaut criteria. This distinction has sparked a conversation about who truly qualifies as an astronaut in the realm of commercial space travel.
The FAA’s now-retired Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program, established in 2004 and terminated in 2021, outlined specific requirements for individuals to be recognized as astronauts, including flying at least 50 miles above Earth and carrying out duties essential to public or human spaceflight safety. While the program may have ended, it still maintains a record of past recipients, which notably does not include the recent all-female crew from Blue Origin.
Beyond FAA standards, different organizations like NASA and Merriam-Webster offer their own definitions of astronauts, with NASA highlighting the selection process into its astronaut corps and the profession of “star sailing.” Merriam-Webster emphasizes the profession of traveling beyond Earth’s atmosphere as a defining characteristic of an astronaut.
The debate over who qualifies as an astronaut in the evolving landscape of commercial space travel reflects the complex criteria and varying perspectives on the prestigious title. As the industry continues to expand and diversify, the definition of an astronaut may undergo further examination and redefinition to encompass new roles and responsibilities in space exploration.