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Jeff Bezos is officially an astronaut. Really – just ask the federal government.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it is ending a program that awards small gold badges called “Commercial Space Astronaut Wings” to certain individuals flying into space by private spacecraft.

But before the program officially retires in January, the agency said anyone applying for gold wings after flying into space this year will continue to receive them. This means that Amazon’s billionaire founder, Mr. Bezos, who rode a rocket to the edge of space with his space company Blue Origin in July, will be considered a commercial astronaut.

So will Richard Branson, founder of space tourism firm Virgin Galactic, who flew his own company’s rocket plane into space that same month. Star Trek star William Shatner, who flew to the edge of space with Blue Origin in October, will also receive astronaut wings to go with his Starfleet paraphernalia. 12 more people added List of federal agency’s wing recipients on Friday.

The changes will help the FAA avoid the potentially awkward position of declaring that some space tourists are merely passengers, not astronauts.

It was created by the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program. Patti Grace Smith, first chief of the FAA’s commercial space office, said: promoting the private development of manned spaceflight – a mandate from a 1984 law aimed at accelerating the innovation of spacecraft. The program began distributing needles to qualified individuals in 2004 when Mike Melvill, a test pilot who flew the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne aircraft, became its first recipient.

To qualify for commercial astronaut wings under the original guidelines, a person had to reach an altitude of at least 50 miles, the space mark recognized by NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and be a member of the spacecraft’s “flight crew.”

Noticing an increase in spaceflight activity, the FAA narrowed its criteria in July, the day after Mr. Bezos was launched into space. updated version, summarized in a five-page orderrequired that crew members “perform activities that are necessary for public safety in flight or that contribute to human space flight safety,” an adjustment that aligns the program “more directly with the FAA’s role in maintaining public safety during commercial space operations.” The agency said then. It also authorized the head of the agency’s commercial spaceflight office to grant wings to individuals who “have demonstrated outstanding contribution or useful service to the commercial human spaceflight industry.”

The emergence of space tourism, and especially the new rules of the FAA, has sparked controversy over who can be called an astronaut.

NASA chooses astronauts They go through an extensive selection process, and astronaut candidates undergo years of safety and technical training before their first flight into space. In contrast, passengers and paying tourists spend several days on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket train, before launching to the edge of space and returning on a fully autonomous mission that takes about 10 minutes. Mr. Branson’s space tourism firm Virgin Galactic offers a similar experience in a spaceplane launched from a carrier plane.

Companies could nominate special passengers on their rockets to be awarded with commercial astronaut wings by the FAA. Blue Origin nominated passengers on all New Shepard flights by submitting applications to the agency, but the company had not received a response in months. It was unclear whether Mr. Bezos met the criteria for exhibiting “activities necessary for public safety in-flight”.

But the FAA resolved the uncertainty Friday by canceling its criteria in July and giving wings to anyone flying into space in private spacecraft this year. The new criteria are outlined in the agency’s statement: “Any person who is engaged in an FAA-licensed or authorized launch and reaches 50 legal miles above the Earth’s surface.”

SpaceX’s first four special passengers, who spent three days in orbit aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft in September, were also named wing receivers.

Any private spaceflight passengers flying into space before the end of the year will also be eligible. This will include a scheduled flight of six passengers on Saturday by Blue Origin, including TV presenter and former Giants defensive side Michael Strahan.

While no one will receive small gold badges after 2021, those who fly over 50 miles in an FAA-licensed rocket will be honored at the agency’s awards ceremony. online database.

But future space tourists should not despair over the lack of post-flight talent. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX offered specially designed wings to paying and guest passengers.