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US says Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson aren’t astronauts

Published

5 years ago

July 26, 2021

The US has tightened its definition of the word “astronaut”, and it doesn’t include billionaire space explorers

The US’ New Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has updated its rules to be an astronaut you must be part of a flight crew and make contributions to space flight safety.

This means that officially, billionaire space travellers like Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson may not actually be astronauts despite their trips beyond earth.

The changes come as the first amendment to the FAA Wings programme since it began in 2004. The FAA announced the updates on Tuesday, the same day that Bezos went to the edge of space aboard a Blue Origin rocket.

Richard Branson space flight: should billionaires be going to space? | Ticker VIEWS

How does a billionaire become an astronaut?

In order to qualify as a ‘commercial astronaut’, you must travel 80km above the Earth’s surface – a feat which Branson and Bezos both successfully accomplished.

However, the FAA also says that to be considered an astronaut, space-travellers must also have “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety”.

For the FAA to award a space-traveller their ‘commercial wings’ as an astronaut, they also need someone to nominate them for the position. Americans can also become an astronaut through the US military or NASA.

The FAA says that the changes better align the Wings Scheme with its role in protecting public safety during commercial space flights.

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Natasha Schapova

Natasha is an Associate Producer at ticker NEWS with a Bachelor of arts from Monash University. She has previously worked at Sky News Australia and Monash University as an Online Content Producer.

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Money

S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally ahead of Fed meeting and earnings

S&P 500 and Nasdaq rise for fourth session as investors await earnings and Fed meeting, marking longest gain since December.

Published

5 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Harvey Vargas

S&P 500 and Nasdaq rise for fourth session as investors await earnings and Fed meeting, marking longest gain since December.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have climbed for the fourth consecutive session as investors brace for upcoming earnings reports and a Federal Reserve meeting.

Both indexes reached their highest levels in over a week, marking the longest series of gains since December.

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Money

U.S. and China approve TikTok sale to American investors

US and China approve TikTok’s sale to Oracle and Silver Lake amid regulatory scrutiny, with ByteDance retaining 20%.

Published

4 days ago

January 23, 2026

Harvey Vargas

US and China approve TikTok’s sale to Oracle and Silver Lake amid regulatory scrutiny, with ByteDance retaining 20%.

The United States and China have officially approved a deal for TikTok’s US operations to be sold to American investors, led by Oracle and Silver Lake.

This marks a major shift in the social media landscape as the platform navigates increasing regulatory scrutiny.

Under the new agreement, ByteDance will retain just under 20% of TikTok US, while Oracle and Silver Lake will each take 15% stakes. Other investors will also participate, forming a structure designed to satisfy both commercial and regulatory demands.

The new US-based entity will have a majority American board tasked with overseeing data protection and content moderation. Despite these safeguards, concerns remain about ByteDance’s influence and whether the deal fully complies with recent legislation.

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#TikTokSale #USChinaDeal #Oracle #SilverLake #ByteDance #TechNews #SocialMedia #DataProtection

Money

Markets tumble as Trump tariffs, Greenland rhetoric and Europe backlash collide

U.S. stocks plummet over 800 points amid renewed tariff threats and political tensions from Trump, sparking global trade concerns.

Published

6 days ago

January 21, 2026

Harvey Vargas

U.S. stocks plummet over 800 points amid renewed tariff threats and political tensions from Trump, sparking global trade concerns.

U.S. equities took a sharp hit as markets reacted to renewed tariff threats and heightened political rhetoric from President Donald Trump. The Dow plunged more than 800 points, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also sliding as investor nerves rattled risk assets.

The sell-off highlights growing concern around global trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty, with markets struggling to price in what comes next for U.S. economic leadership and policy direction.

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#USMarkets #WallStreet #TrumpTariffs #GlobalMarkets #USDebt #Europe #Davos #Ticker