The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the introduction of a special fee system for commercial space flights and re-entries. The new regulations will take effect in 2026 and will apply to all licensed operations. Ixbt.com reports on this.
According to the established procedure, the base rate in 2026 will be $0.25 per 0.45 kg of payload. The maximum fee for a single flight or re-entry has been set at $30,000.
The collected funds will be directed toward financing the integration of space flights into the national air traffic system.
Operators are required to provide information regarding the payload weight at least 60 days before the mission. Based on this data, the FAA will issue an invoice, which must be paid within 30 days.
The new system will also apply to flights starting from this year.
Given current flight volumes, annual revenue is expected to reach millions of dollars. For example, the fee for a single SpaceX Starlink mission carrying 25-29 satellites will cost approximately $8,000-$9,000.
Fee rates will be increased incrementally. By 2033, the payment per 0.45 kg of payload is planned to reach $1.50, while the maximum limit per mission will reach $200,000.
This measure is being taken as the number of commercial flights has increased by more than 50 percent since 2023.
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