Shutdown Could Mean Months-long Commercial Space Backlog, Aviation Interests Say

The partial federal shutdown could mean "several months" to work through the backlog of commercial space licensing, flights and payloads, aviation industry groups said in a letter to President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The Jan. 10 letter -- released Tuesday by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) -- said the FAA has "a minimal team of engineers working without pay" to do public safety inspections of already-licensed launches but licensing activities, including modifications and waiver requests, are closed. The letter urged quick resolution of the shutdown. The 34 signatories included AIA, Airlines for America and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.