The increasing number of space transport operations has safety ramifications for all air navigation service providers.
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Space missions by commercial companies – carrying satellites, supplies, and tourists – are on the rise, with 291 launches worldwide in 2025, a 12.4% increase from 2024. This growth presents new challenges for air navigation service providers (ANSPs).
In the event of a failure
How does it work?
Widespread safety
Considerations for Managing Space Operations provides guidance to ANSPs and LROs to help ensure the safe integration of STOs into civil airspace.
In the event of a space traffic vehicle (STV) malfunction that could generate debris, alter its trajectory, or affect danger areas, the LRO must promptly notify relevant ANSP personnel and contingency plans activated based on new data. Stakeholders should know the airspace plan beforehand, with the LRO providing updates via various communication platforms.
After launches, SSRs investigate space incidents; aircraft issues follow ICAO processes. As there are no global standards for STO contingencies, ANSPs establish their own procedures. In the United States, the FAA uses Debris Response Areas (DRA) for risk management during emergencies. DRAs are designated volumes, separate from standard danger areas, activated only when certain risk thresholds are met. During normal STOs, aircraft may operate within DRAs.
The CANSO document provides the ICAO context and far more granular details. The key is that all ANSPs need to be aware of the impact of STOs. Many ANSPs are grappling with the complexity of the coordination required to manage such activities’ effects on their airspace system’s safety and efficiency.
Every STO is different but typically, the LRO must notify the SSR of their intention to conduct an STO and collaborate closely to obtain necessary approvals. Once approved, the space state regulator (SSR), or its equivalent, assumes responsibility for conducting a thorough risk hazard analysis for every space traffic operation (STO) to ensure that all relevant safety criteria are met.
The coordinating ANSP then assesses the necessity of an airspace management plan (AMP) for each mission, which might range from standard procedures to more comprehensive documentation, depending on the complexity of the STO.
The AMP could include, for example, a detailed description of designated danger areas, route availability for aircraft operators, tactical ATFM measures between affected ANSPs and contingency protocols for operational failures.
Effective communication between the LRO and both coordinating and integrating ANSPs, via phone calls, emails, or electronic data exchange, increases the likelihood of acceptance and effective integration. A dedicated group mailbox can greatly improve pre-launch coordination. Sharing information early in the airspace analysis phase allows integrating ANSPs to identify potential conflicts, reducing the risk of last-minute disruptions. All incoming information, regardless of the medium, must be carefully documented and shared with appropriate parties.
Once the launch date and time are agreed between the coordinating ANSP or LRO and the integrating ANSPs, the integrating ANSPs publish associated NOTAMs to define the danger areas or other special use airspace to protect aircraft not involved in the operation. The configuration and duration of these danger areas are tailored to each specific launch and comply with local regulations.
Factors influencing the geometry and duration of danger areas include the materials and size of vehicle components, jettison altitude, and vehicle reliability. Depending on the mission profile and vehicle size, the trajectory and associated danger areas may impact several Flight Information Regions (FIRs).
On launch day, the LRO should ensure continuous situational awareness for ANSPs and stakeholders regarding the status of STO missions. This involves:
Providing updates on launch and re-entry readiness.
Issuing notifications of delays or cancellations.
Reporting irregular or contingency events.
There are multiple elements to a safe and successful space launch, all of which are addressed in CANSO’s latest publication, Considerations for Managing Space Operations.
The guidance outlines two key roles for ANSPs involved in STOs:
Coordinating ANSP: This is responsible for managing the airspace where a launch or re-entry occurs.
Integrating ANSP(s): This manages airspace that may be affected by the launch or re-entry.
In other words, such is the scope of STOs that several flight information regions may be affected, and not just the airspace where a launch or re-entry occurs. This means there are widespread safety considerations.
Ensuring the safety of the airspace system and non-participating users is a shared responsibility among coordinating ANSPs, integrating ANSPs, and LROs. For illustration, launches from the United States during 2023 and up to the third quarter of 2024 affected FIRs worldwide, with the FAA acting as the coordinating ANSP and others as integrating ANSPs.
Space launches must pass through civil airspace, requiring coordination between Launch or Re-entry Operators (LROs) and ANSPs. Most launches happen at a few spaceports but can impact multiple states and airspace systems.
The increasing number of space transport operations has safety ramifications for all air navigation service providers.
Space launches must pass through civil airspace, requiring coordination between Launch or Re-entry Operators (LROs) and ANSPs. Most launches happen at a few spaceports but can impact multiple states and airspace systems.
Considerations for Managing Space Operations provides guidance to ANSPs and LROs to help ensure the safe integration of STOs into civil airspace.
Every STO is different but typically, the LRO must notify the SSR of their intention to conduct an STO and collaborate closely to obtain necessary approvals. Once approved, the space state regulator (SSR), or its equivalent, assumes responsibility for conducting a thorough risk hazard analysis for every space traffic operation (STO) to ensure that all relevant safety criteria are met.
The coordinating ANSP then assesses the necessity of an airspace management plan (AMP) for each mission, which might range from standard procedures to more comprehensive documentation, depending on the complexity of the STO.
The AMP could include, for example, a detailed description of designated danger areas, route availability for aircraft operators, tactical ATFM measures between affected ANSPs and contingency protocols for operational failures.
Effective communication between the LRO and both coordinating and integrating ANSPs, via phone calls, emails, or electronic data exchange, increases the likelihood of acceptance and effective integration. A dedicated group mailbox can greatly improve pre-launch coordination. Sharing information early in the airspace analysis phase allows integrating ANSPs to identify potential conflicts, reducing the risk of last-minute disruptions. All incoming information, regardless of the medium, must be carefully documented and shared with appropriate parties.
Once the launch date and time are agreed between the coordinating ANSP or LRO and the integrating ANSPs, the integrating ANSPs publish associated NOTAMs to define the danger areas or other special use airspace to protect aircraft not involved in the operation. The configuration and duration of these danger areas are tailored to each specific launch and comply with local regulations.
Factors influencing the geometry and duration of danger areas include the materials and size of vehicle components, jettison altitude, and vehicle reliability. Depending on the mission profile and vehicle size, the trajectory and associated danger areas may impact several Flight Information Regions (FIRs).
On launch day, the LRO should ensure continuous situational awareness for ANSPs and stakeholders regarding the status of STO missions. This involves:
Providing updates on launch and re-entry readiness.
Issuing notifications of delays or cancellations.
Reporting irregular or contingency events.
How does it work?
There are multiple elements to a safe and successful space launch, all of which are addressed in CANSO’s latest publication, Considerations for Managing Space Operations.
The guidance outlines two key roles for ANSPs involved in STOs:
Coordinating ANSP: This is responsible for managing the airspace where a launch or re-entry occurs.
Integrating ANSP(s): This manages airspace that may be affected by the launch or re-entry.
In other words, such is the scope of STOs that several flight information regions may be affected, and not just the airspace where a launch or re-entry occurs. This means there are widespread safety considerations.
Ensuring the safety of the airspace system and non-participating users is a shared responsibility among coordinating ANSPs, integrating ANSPs, and LROs. For illustration, launches from the United States during 2023 and up to the third quarter of 2024 affected FIRs worldwide, with the FAA acting as the coordinating ANSP and others as integrating ANSPs.
Widespread safety
Space missions by commercial companies – carrying satellites, supplies, and tourists – are on the rise, with 291 launches worldwide in 2025, a 12.4% increase from 2024. This growth presents new challenges for air navigation service providers (ANSPs).
In the event of a space traffic vehicle (STV) malfunction that could generate debris, alter its trajectory, or affect danger areas, the LRO must promptly notify relevant ANSP personnel and contingency plans activated based on new data. Stakeholders should know the airspace plan beforehand, with the LRO providing updates via various communication platforms.
After launches, SSRs investigate space incidents; aircraft issues follow ICAO processes. As there are no global standards for STO contingencies, ANSPs establish their own procedures. In the United States, the FAA uses Debris Response Areas (DRA) for risk management during emergencies. DRAs are designated volumes, separate from standard danger areas, activated only when certain risk thresholds are met. During normal STOs, aircraft may operate within DRAs.
The CANSO document provides the ICAO context and far more granular details. The key is that all ANSPs need to be aware of the impact of STOs. Many ANSPs are grappling with the complexity of the coordination required to manage such activities’ effects on their airspace system’s safety and efficiency.
In the event of a failure
