RED TAPE AT THE FAA is holding back commercial space ventures, according to a coalition of rocket companies and space activists (read the press release here). I think they’re right that it was the intent of Congress in the 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act, and subsequent legislation, that there would be one-stop regulation of space launch activities via the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which is now part of the FAA, and that the FAA’s aircraft-regulation shops wouldn’t be involved.