Report of Launch Range Safety Committee of the IAASS

On May 17-18, 2010, The International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety IAASS held the first workshop on public safety from launch risks. Representatives from the European Space Agency ESA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA, Centre National dEtudes Spatiales CNES, National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA, Federal Aviation Administration FAA, and IAASS participated. The workshop was designed as a search for commonality among the risk management approaches used by those space-faring organizations. Much of the foundational material used in developing risk-based methods for the US DoD was identified as a starting point, and 11 fundamental questions that frame the risk management approach were asked and answered by each member of the workshop. The compiled results demonstrate a high degree of commonality among the space-faring organizations, and general harmony in the equivalent levels of safety provided. Future workshops are planned for later in 2010, to move forward in defining further international compatibilities.