Huntsville International Airport Dream Chaser Landing Permit Update
Phase I - Landing Site Study Objectives • Determine the feasibility and compatibility of landing future space vehicles (specifically the SNC Dream Chaser) at the Huntsville International Airport. • Develop recommendations for the next steps.
Phase I - Assessments and Tests • • • • • •
FAA Licensing and Regulations Review Runway Compatibility Assessment Preliminary Airspace Assessment Preliminary Explosive Site Plan Preliminary Environmental Review Runway Dynamic and Static Testing
FAA Licensing and Regulations Review Pre Application Coordination - FAA Licensing Consultation •
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The Team will provide assistance, expertise, and representatives during initial meetings associated with understand requirements, expectations, and information sharing to support the application phases of a licensing process. This includes supporting communication with FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) and preliminary application consultation process. Findings: – Current path forward is that a commercial services airport will be required to have a Part 433 license as well as the required Part 435 portions for the reentry vehicle. 1. Reentry Vehicle License (Part 435) • The proposed missions and capabilities outlined here directly flow into the EA. 2. Environmental Assessment • The EA is required by both licenses and can take 6-12 months to complete. Licenses must be significantly complete before EA approval. 3. Reentry Site License (Part 433) • The Reentry Site License can utilized a lot of the information and analyses produced in the EA and Part 435 license. The site specific items of the license are expected to not require a significant amount of time to complete.
Runway Compatibility Assessment Optimal Runway Assessment •
The Team will perform a runway assessment to identify the optimal runway for landing, and a review of runway characteristics relevant to a successful landing at HSV.
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Findings: – Both runways are long and wide enough to support Dream Chaser. However, due to the touch down and centerline lighting on the west runway, the east runway (Runway 18L-36R) will be proposed as the primary runway for Dream Chaser.
Preliminary Airspace Assessment Airspace Review •
The Team will perform an initial assessment of landing options at HSV and coordinate a meeting with key Airspace Stakeholders, including FAA-AST, FAA Office of Air Traffic Control (ATC), and Huntsville Tower.
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Findings: – Airspace will require significant coordination between the FAA, Memphis, and Atlanta Centers through letters of agreement. – Arrival route crosses extended centerline of adjacent runway, potentially affecting landing traffic. – Multiple nearby airports. – Potential impact to ATL and BNA. – Uncertainty over hazard area and integration with air traffic when descending into Class A airspace. – Memphis and Atlanta ARTCC believe that Dream Chaser integration into the airspace is feasible. There are no “show stoppers.” Additional flight details are required to perform a better analysis.
Preliminary Explosive Site Plan Explosive Site Plan •
The Team will review the characteristics of the design of future vehicles, and determine applicable separation distances, if any. The separation distances will be sketched on a scaled map of the airport and potential impact to airport operations will be assessed.
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Findings: – The quantities and types of chemicals and propellants that will exist on the Dream Chaser vehicle on landing were provided by SNC. The east runway has enough separation between the vehicle and inhabited buildings and public traffic routes to support the Dream Chaser and slightly larger quantities of propellants.
Preliminary Environmental Review Environmental Review The Team will complete the following (text, tables and exhibits) to ensure all Environmental Assessments are complete, and would comply with the appropriate FAA requirements and guidelines: – Environmental Assessment Scoping and Study Design – Purpose and Need Statement – Modeling and evaluating noise contours of future vehicles while approaching the Airport
Findings: • •
The sonic boom will be heard over 13,000 square miles and 3 states. An Environmental Assessment is expected to be the most appropriate NEPA documentation required for the proposed operations. Minor concern due to potential constructive use impacts to parks and recreation sites, and historic properties that are protected under Department of Transportation Section 4(f) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Final Report Overview Task
Issues
Runway Compatibility Assessment
None
Preliminary Airspace Assessment
Coordination required between HSV, ATL, MEM, BHM airports
Preliminary Explosive Site Plan
None
Preliminary Environmental Review
None
Runway Asphalt Test – Static
Negligible Impact
Runway Asphalt Test – Dynamic
None
Green – No or minimal issues; Yellow – Issues but an acceptable recovery plan; Red – Issues with no acceptable recovery plan
Milestones Phase 2A Phase
Regulation
2A-1
413.1, 413.3, 413.5, 420.1, 433.1, 435.1
Local Site Visit, Kickoff Meetings, FAA Pre App Consultation Meetings
2A-2
435.35
Deliver Trajectory to Landing Site and Associate Contractor
Contractors will develop a site specific tool to generate a trajectory using Dream Chaser guidance and aerodynamic properties. They will generate a single trajectory from a design reference orbit (DRO) representing a potential reentry trajectory from an International Space Station (ISS) orbit to HSV and conduct analysis.
Draft Outline of Final Report & Sonic Boom Analysis Technical Memo
Draft Outline of Final Report - Contractors will prepare a draft final report that discusses the results and findings of the preliminary analyses and tasks completed. The report will include an Executive Summary, Dream Chaser Overview, Site Visit Overview, Preliminary Airspace Review, Preliminary Environmental Review, Trajectory, Ec Analysis, and Runway Compatibility. Sonic Boom Analysis Technical Memo - Contractors will perform a sonic boom analysis of one set of Dream Chaser reentry trajectories to HSV using PCBoom4, an FAA approved single event sonic boom overpressure modelling tool.
Final Report & Administrative Draft EA v1 (to HSV)
Final Report - Contractors will deliver the 2A final report that discusses the results and findings of the preliminary analyses and tasks completed. The report will include an Executive Summary, Dream Chaser Overview, Site Visit Overview, Preliminary Airspace Review, Preliminary Environmental Review, Trajectory, Ec Analysis, and Runway Compatibility. Administrative Draft EA v1 (to HSV) - Contractors will provide initial National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation assessing the potential environmental impacts of the Dream Chaser future commercial reentry site operations and future reentry site development at HSV.
2A-3
2A-4
433.7, 435.61
433.7, 435.61
Milestone
Description
Contractors will attend a HSV site visit and Kickoff Meeting to review the Runway Condition, Facilities, potential development areas for facilities and to review the goals of the study, expectations from the customer and subcontractors, timelines, and milestones. Contractors will begin Pre App Consultation meetings with FAA/AST and HSV representatives to discuss application requirements.
Milestones Phase 2B Phase
Regulation
Milestone
Description
2B-5
420.1, 420.15, 420.19, 420.21, 420.23, 420.25, 420.27, 433.7, 435.23, 435.35, 435.61
Pre-Application Meetings Summary & Administrative Draft EA v2 (to HSV/FAA)
Pre-Application Meetings Summary - Contractors will schedule, coordinate, and participate in the preapplication consultation meetings with the FAA. The contractors will discuss any issues or concerns that come out of the meeting with landing site representatives. At the conclusion of the preapplication meetings, contractors will publish the minutes. Administrative Draft EA v2 (to HSV/FAA) - Contractors will provide an update to the Administrative Draft EA document developed in Phase 2a with the final set of trajectories. They will also perform a sonic boom analysis on the final landing trajectories and update the results in the document.
2B-6
433.7, 435.61
Draft EA (to Public)
Contractors will develop a notification package that includes a brief description of the NEPA process, purpose and need, proposed action, location map, and proposed action site plan. This information will be provided to agencies in digital format.
2B-7
433.7, 435.61
Public Meeting
2B-8
433.7, 435.61
Preliminary Final EA (to HSV/FAA)
2B-9
420.27, 435.35
Expected Casualty Results
Contractors will conduct an Expected Casualty (Ec) analysis on each of the trajectory swaths developed for the respective DROs, resulting in an array of Ec values, identifying potential no-fly zones.
2B-10
413.7, 433.7, 435.61
Notice of Part 435 License Application Submission & Final EA
Notice of Part 435 License Application Submission - Contractors will compile the FAA Part 435 License application. This shall include the collation of required analysis products and documentation. Final EA - Contractors will provide the Final EA document.
2B-11
420.31, 420.53, 420.55, 420.57, 420.59, 420.61, 420.63, 420.71, 433.7, 433.9, 435.51, 435.61, 420.65, 420.66, 420.67, 420.69, 420.70
Final Presentation
2B-12
413.7
Part 433 License Application (to HSV/FAA) - Submission
2B-13
413.13
Part 433 License Application (to HSV/FAA) - updates as required from FAA Review
Contractors anticipate the need for a public meeting after the release of the Draft EA. Contractors shall prepare the materials for and participate in a public meeting. This includes meeting location, exhibit boards, easels, handouts, sign in sheets, comment forms, newspaper advertisements, and court stenographer. Contractors will provide a Preliminary Final EA document developed with inputs from the Public Meeting.
Contractors will prepare a presentation that discusses the results and content included in the submitted applications. The presentation will include an Executive Summary, Airspace Review and Letter of Agreement, Environmental Assessment, Evaluated Trajectories and DROs, and Results of the Ec calculations.
Contractors will prepare and deliver a Part 433 Reentry Site Operator License Application document to HSV for submission to the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Contractors will provide updates to the 433 as required from FAA review.
Questions?
Kevin Vandeberg, A.A.E. Director of Operations Huntsville International Airport kvandeberg@hsvairport.org