Experts suggest ending "learning period" for commercial spaceflight safety regulations.

A new report by the RAND Corporation recommends that the "learning period" for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ability to regulate safety for people flying on commercial spacecraft be allowed to expire later this year. The report concluded that despite limited progress on establishing voluntary industry safety standards, the FAA and industry were now ready to start the process of developing formal safety standards for those participating in commercial spaceflight. The learning period was originally intended to expire in 2012 but was extended in subsequent legislation because of a lack of commercial human spaceflight activity that could serve as an experience base upon which to build regulations.