2023-16858: U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation

Summary

This proposed rule would incorporate various changes required by the United States Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of November 2015. This proposed rule would provide regulatory clarity to applicants seeking licenses for space flight operations involving government astronauts by adding two new subparts to the human space flight regulations containing requirements for operators with government astronauts with and without safety-critical roles on board vehicles. The proposed rule would also require an operator to demonstrate any government astronauts on board can perform their role in safety-critical tasks. This proposed requirement would maintain public safety by ensuring operators provide mission specific training on safety-critical tasks to government astronauts, as has been done in the NASA Commercial Crew Program. The proposed rule would also update definitions relating to commercial space launch and reentry vehicles and occupants to reflect current legislative definitions, expand applicability of permitted operations for reusable suborbital rockets to include reusable launch vehicles that will be launched into a suborbital trajectory or reentered from a suborbital trajectory, as well as implement clarifications to financial responsibility requirements in accordance with the United States Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act. Finally, this proposed rule would move the templates for waiver of claims to an advisory circular.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 9 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

• 14 CFR 401 Organization and Definitions
• 14 CFR 413 License Application Procedures
• 14 CFR 415
• 14 CFR 431
• 14 CFR 435
• 14 CFR 437 Experimental Permits
• 14 CFR 440 Financial Responsibility
• 14 CFR 450 Launch and Reentry License Requirements
• 14 CFR 460 Human Space Flight Requirements