The mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) is to ensure public safety for licensed U.S. launch activities, and to support the continued growth and expansion of the U.S. space transportation industry. Safety is AST's top priority. To meet its safety responsibilities, AST conducts a variety of core functions to ensure that uninvolved persons are protected from the dangers and potential hazards associated with commercial space launch operations. These functions include licensing, conducting safety inspections of licensed and permitted oerations, developing rulemaking products related to commercial launch activities, and conducting evalutions and making determinations regarding experimental permits. Also, AST is driven to ensure that it keeps pace with the evolving commercial space transportation industry. AST will lead agency efforts to develop the appropriate regulatory framework for human space flight and new experimental vehicle launches. AST will also continue to improve its internal tools and processes used to enable new laucnh vehicle technologies adn systems. Further, AST will leverage partnerships with other government organizations to enhance the safety of launches occurring from both federal and non-federal launch sites. In addition to ensuring public safety, AST enables industry through a variety of activities intended to encourage, promote, and facilitate the growth and expansion of U.S. commercial space transportation. AST's core business functions in this area include activities such as performing environmental projects, publishing reports on industry developments and trends, hosting stakeholder forums, and supporting development of policies that impact the U.S. commercial space launch industry. Further, AST takes great pride in delivering timely and reliable products that meet or exceed customer requirements. AST is committed to working with its stakeholders to identify approaches that will render even greater service and stakeholder satisfaction, as well as cost savings. Finally, AST's greatest resource is its dedicated staff. AST strives to ensure that all of its staff members are properly trained and prepared to perform at the highest levels.


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