FAA eases aircraft protection limits for space debris

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has reduced the safety limit for aircraft exposure to space debris, a rule that previously aimed for a 95‑percent confidence that no fatal accident would occur within 80 years, according to aerotelegraph.com.

The agency notes that only about 30 percent of the former maximum flight allowance has been used and projects that by 2030 more than 1,000 rocket launches and re‑entries will occur annually, while it develops new tools to calculate debris hazards more accurately.