Commercial Space Transportation

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Final Rules

News about Commercial Space Transportation Regulations

• New Final Rule Published: Explosive Siting Requirements, September 7, 2012
• New NPRM Published: Exclusion of Tethered Launches from Licensing Requirements, August 23, 2012

Legislation

• Commercial Space Launch Act, 51 U.S.C. Ch. 509, §§ 50901-23 (2011)

Regulations

Title 14 CFR
Chapter III—Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation

Subchapter A – General

• Part 400 — Basis and Scope
• Part 401 — Organization and Definitions

Subchapter B – Procedure

• Part 404 — Regulations and Licensing Requirements
• Part 405 — Investigations and Enforcement
• Part 406 — Investigations, Enforcement, and Administrative Review

Subchapter C – Licensing

• Part 413 — License Application Procedures
• Part 414 — Safety Approvals
• Part 415 — Launch License
• Part 417 — Launch Safety
• Part 420 — License to Operate a Launch Site
• Part 431 — Launch and Reentry of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
• Part 433 — License to Operate a Reentry Site
• Part 435 — Reentry of a Reentry Vehicle Other than a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
• Part 437 — Experimental Permits
• Part 440 — Financial Responsibility
• Part 460 — Human Space Flight Requirements
• Complete FAA/AST Regulations, 14 CFR Chapter III (PDF, 4.4 MB)

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

• 14 CFR Part 420, Explosive Siting Requirements, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, February 16, 2011 (PDF)

Amateur Rocket Activities

• Amateur Rocket Launches are not regulated under Part 400, but must comply with Part 101 requirements for Amateur Rocket Activities Final Rule, December 4, 2008 (PDF)

Advisory Circulars

• Environmental Control and Life Support Systems for Flight Crew and Space Flight Participants in Suborbital Space Flight, AC 460.11-1-A (PDF, 12/16/2008)
• Hazard Analyses for the Launch or Reentry of a Reusable Suborbital Rocket Under an Experimental Permit (PDF)
• License Application Procedures, AC 413-1 (PDF, 8/16/1999)
  • Related Regulations: 14 CFR Part 413, Sections 413.5, 413.7, 413.9, 413.11, 413.13, 413.15, and 413.17, 413.19, 413.21 and 413.23
• Part 440 Insurance Conditions, AC 440-1 (PDF, 11/13/1998)
• Expected Casualty Calculations for Commercial Space Launch and Reentry Missions, AC 431.35-1 (PDF, 8/30/2000)
• Licensing Test Flight Reusable Launch Vehicle Missions, AC 431.35-3 (PDF, 8/15/2002)
• License Application Procedures, AC 413-1 (PDF, 8/16/1999)
• Reusable Launch and Reentry Vehicle System Safety Process, AC 431.35-2A (PDF, 7/20/1995)

Archived Rules and Notices

Final Rules

• Miscellaneous Changes to Commercial Space Transportation Regulations; Final Rule (PDF, 8/31/2006)
• 14CFR Parts 405 and 406 Civil Penalty Actions in Commercial Space Transportation; Final Rule (PDF, 1/10/2001)
• 14CFR Parts 401, 411, 413, 415, and 417 Commercial Space Transportation Licensing Regulations; Final Rule (PDF, 6/21/1999)
• 14 CFR CFR Parts 405 and 406, Civil Penalty Actions in Commercial Space Transportation; Final Rule (with Preamble), January 10, 2001 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 401, 411, 413, 415, and 417, Commercial Space Transportation Licensing Regulations; Final Rule (with Preamble), June 21, 1999 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 401, 417, and 430, Licensing and Safety Requirements for Operation of a Launch Site; Rule (with Preamble), October 19, 2000 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 400, 401, 404, 405, 406, 413, 415, 431, 433, and 435, Commercial Space Transportation Reusable Launch Vehicle and Reentry Licensing Regulations; Final Rule (with Preamble), September 19, 2000 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 401, 404, 405, 406, 413, 415, 420, 431, and 437, Experimental Permits for Reusable Suborbital Rockets, April 6, 2007 (PDF)

Previous Notices of Proposed Rulemaking and Other Notices

• 14 CFR Parts 1, 101, 400, and 401, Requirements for Amateur Rocket Activities, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, June 14, 2007 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 401, 404, 405, 406, 413, 420, 431, 437, Experimental Permits for Reusable Suborbital Rockets, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, March 31, 2006 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 401, 415 et al., Human Space Flight Requirements for Crew and Space Flight Participants; Proposed Rule, December 29, 2005 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Part 414, Safety Approvals; Proposed Rule, June 1, 2005 (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 413, 415, and 417, Licensing and Safety Requirements for Launch; Proposed Rule, July 30, 2002 (Supplementary Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) (PDF)
  • Regulatory Evaluation (PDF)
• 14 CFR Parts 413, 415, and 417, Licensing and Safety Requirements for Launch; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Proposed Rule, October 25, 2000 (PDF)

Guidelines

• Safety Approval Guide for Applicants, Version 1.0, September 28, 2009 (PDF)
• Financial Responsibility Requirements as Determined by the MPL Process (PDF, 1/12/2007)
• Guidelines on Probability of Failure Analysis for New Expendable Launch Vehicles (PDF, 11/2005)

Environmental

• Guidelines for Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Related Environmental Review Statutes for the Licensing of Commercial Launches and Launch Sites (PDF, 2/22/2001)

RLV Guidelines

• Guide to Reusable Launch and Reentry Vehicle Software and Computing System Safety (PDF, 07/2006)
• Guide to Verifying Safety-Critical Structures for Reusable Launch and Reentry Vehicles, Version 1.0 (PDF, 11/22/2005)
• Guide to the Identification of Safety-Critical Hardware Items for Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Developers (PDF, 5/1/2005)
• Guide to Reusable Launch and Reentry Vehicle Reliability Analysis (PDF, 04/2005)
• Guide to Commercial RLV Operations and Maintenance Version 1.0 (PDF, 03/2005)
• Guidance for Medical Screening of Commercial Aerospace Passengers (PDF, 3/31/2003)
• Guide to RLV Safety Validation and Verification Planning, Version 1.0 (PDF, 09/2003)
• Draft Guidelines for Commercial Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations with Flight Crew (PDF, 2/11/2005)
• Draft Guidelines for Commercial Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations with Space Flight Participants (PDF, 2/11/2005)
• Supplemental Application Guidance for Unguided Suborbital Launch Vehicles
  • Attachment 1
  • Attachment 2
  • Attachment 3
  • Attachment 4
• Financial Responsibility for Reentry Vehicle Operations (PDF, 05/1995)