by Jeff Foust — July 8, 2021 The June 30 Falcon 9 launch of the Transporter-2 mission was the first launch to use the FAA's Space Data Integrator, a tool intended to reduce the time airspace is closed for launches. Credit: SpaceX
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration has started to use a new tool intended to better integrate commercial launches and reentries into the National Airspace System, reducing the disruptions those events have on aviation.
The FAA announced July 8 that it formally started use of the Space Data Integrator (SDI) with the June 30 launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on the Transporter-2 rideshare mission. It will be used again when the CRS-22 cargo Dragon spacecraft splashes down off the Florida cost late July 9.