Alpha explosion
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket explodes about two minutes after liftoff Sept. 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

WASHINGTON — A proposal by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that would give the agency a greater role in investigating failures of commercial launches is facing strong opposition from both the industry and the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...