ASTM International – the organization that develops voluntary standards for everything from copper alloys to environmental technology – has set its sights on the final frontier.

ASTM International has scheduled a meeting next month to create a new technical committee to develop voluntary consensus standards for commercial spaceflight. In attendance will be industry stakeholders and others interested in charting a path towards standardization for commercial spaceflight

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) supports the formation of the new group.

Why standards for spaceflight?

This meeting comes in part as a result of the updated U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 (CSLCA).

Consensus standards from organizations like ASTM International are known to enhance safety and efficiency in aerospace.  New standards could support the growing number of people and entities who design, manufacture, and operate commercial space vehicles for both human and unmanned flights. Human spaceflight occupant safety will be an area of immediate focus, according to those who have expressed initial interest.

The objectives of the meeting are to:

• bring an array of industry experts together;
• identify specific standards needs;
• determine if ASTM International should formally launch a new activity; and, if so,
• develop and approve title, scope, and structure of a new technical committee.

The no-fee meeting is Monday, Oct. 24, at 1 pm EDT at RTCA, Inc.; 1150 18^th St. NW, 4^th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. It will include: an overview of ASTM International, background on industry and government interest in standards development, and a review of initial areas to be considered. For more information and to register, click here, or contact Christine DeJong at +1.610.832.9736 or cdejong@astm.org.

With more than 12,000 standards in its portfolio, ASTM International is one of the world’s largest developers of globally recognized standards and related products and services. It provides a management system to develop standards for materials, products, systems, and services across many industries. 

To learn more about the ASTM International process, visit www.astm.org/ABOUT/full_overview.  To join, go to www.astm.org/JOIN.