When billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson went to space in their private suborbital flights earlier this month, the space tourists were called commercial astronauts by many. But the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has tightened its definition of the word “astronaut”, making it harder for people like Bezos and Branson to be called commercial astronauts. On Tuesday, the agency published updated guidelines, eligibility, and criteria for the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings program. Watch: Jeff Bezos floats in space shuttle, passes Skittles in zero gravity | Blue OriginSince the flight was completely computer-controlled from Earth, Jeff Bezos and other space tourists didn’t contribute to human space flight safety during the flight. This means the four New Shepard passengers wouldn’t qualify for astronaut wings under the new FAA rules.

Source: Hindustan Times July 24, 2021 12:45 UTC