Kelvin B. Coleman is the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this role, he leads the office responsible for enabling safe space transportation and protecting the health and safety of the public, the safety of property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
Mr. Coleman was named associate administrator in 2022, and prior to that had served as acting associate administrator or deputy associate administrator since 2017.
During this time, he has overseen regulation of the commercial space industry, and development and implementation of FAA regulations and services necessary to meet a tremendous growth in stakeholder needs as commercial companies provide space transportation to civil, military, international and private customers. In 2023, his office licensed 124 launch and re-entry operations, a 48 percent increase just from a year earlier.
Mr. Coleman has prepared the AST organization to meet these growing industry demands by establishing strategic priorities, restructuring the organization for increased efficiency and agility, acquiring advanced tools, and advocating for additional resources.
Mr. Coleman has also led efforts to establish clear authorities involving commercial space activity by working closely with other agencies including the National Space Council, the National Transportation Safety Board, NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and the Departments of Defense and Commerce to ensure transparency and clarity among all stakeholders. He has led global leadership initiatives to educate and collaborate with numerous international allies seeking to grow their space services.
Prior to joining the FAA, Mr. Coleman worked for the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a systems engineer, and as a guidance, navigation, and control engineer for several weapon system acquisition programs.
Mr. Coleman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University and a master’s in business administration from Marymount University.