S8 Ep812: "FAA's New Per-Pound Space Launch Fees." GUEST: Bob Zimmerman Bob Zimmerman explains new FAA regulations charging launch providers twenty-five cents per pound, funding the agency's expanding role in supervising orbital and beyond-Earth space traf
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2026
⏱️ 1 minutes
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Summary
"FAA's New Per-Pound Space Launch Fees." GUEST: Bob Zimmerman Bob Zimmerman explains new FAAregulations charging launch providers twenty-five cents per pound, funding the agency's expanding role in supervising orbital and beyond-Earth space traffic.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is John Batchelor, a conversation with colleague Bob Zimmerman about a good idea from the FAA and the U.S. government. |
| 0:07.1 | Very good idea. |
| 0:08.6 | Charging per pound of launch or re-entry per booster, per rocket. |
| 0:14.7 | Bob estimates what it will cost, not that much, but it does provide funds for the FAA in its new role of not only supervising the air |
| 0:23.8 | traffic on Earth, but the low Earth orbit and beyond traffic into space and back down. |
| 0:29.6 | Here's Bob to explain how much and what he makes of it. Much more tonight. |
| 0:35.2 | Yeah, this is actually, this was proposed by Congress a few years ago. |
| 0:40.1 | After some negotiation, they set up new regulations. |
| 0:43.4 | So beginning this year, the FAA is going to be charging launch providers a very small, relatively small amount, |
| 0:53.3 | capped at $30,000 per launch, |
| 0:56.1 | or if a capsule's coming back, reentry, |
| 0:59.4 | it's basically 25 cents per pound of payload. |
| 1:02.5 | It doesn't sound like a lot of money, |
| 1:04.2 | but with the number of launches that are going on, |
| 1:06.3 | it's going to pile up, give the FAA, I'm sorry, some revenue. And the revenue is intended to help FAA |
| 1:16.2 | expand its licensing operations to meet the growing launch industry. |
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