Congress authorized the Centers of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation under the Federal Aviation Administration Research, Engineering and Development Authorization Act of 1990. This legislation enables the FAA to work with universities and their industry partners to conduct research in environment and aviation safety, and other activities to assure a safe and efficient air transportation system. With the establishment of the COE CST in offices of FAA AST, research will extend to cutting-edge technologies and infrastructure for private human spaceflight and orbital debris mitigation.
