Congress established the FAA Air Transportation Centers of Excellence (COE) program with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, PL 101-508, Title IX, Aviation Safety and Capacity Expansion Act. 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 Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE CST) in the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), research extends to cutting-edge technologies and infrastructure for private human space flight and orbital debris mitigation.
These projects reflect the research conducted by the center experts.
