[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 14, Volume 4]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 14CFR431.41]

[Page 853-854]
 
                     TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
 
     CHAPTER III--COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION 
              ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 431_LAUNCH AND REENTRY OF A REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE (RLV)--Table of 
 
    Subpart C_Safety Review and Approval for Launch and Reentry of a 
                         Reusable Launch Vehicle
 
Sec. 431.41  Communications plan.

    (a) An applicant shall submit a plan providing vehicle safety 
operations personnel communications procedures during the mission. 
Procedures for effective issuance and communication of safety-critical 
information during the mission shall include hold/resume, go/no go, 
contingency abort, if any, and emergency abort commands by vehicle 
safety operations personnel. The communications plan shall describe the 
authority of vehicle safety operations personnel, by individual or 
position title, to issue these commands. The communications plan shall 
ensure that--
    (1) Communication networks are assigned so that personnel identified 
under this section have direct access to real-time, safety-critical 
information required for making decisions and issuing commands;
    (2) Personnel identified under this section monitor a common 
intercom channel for safety-critical communications during launch and 
reentry;
    (3) A protocol is established for utilizing defined radio 
communications terminology; and
    (4) Communications affecting the safety of the mission are recorded 
in a

[[Page 854]]

manner that accurately reflects communications made on individual 
channels, synchronized time coding, and sequence of communications.
    (b) An applicant shall submit procedures to ensure that licensee and 
reentry site personnel, if any, receive a copy of the communications 
plan required by this section and that the reentry site operator, if 
any, concurs with the communications plan.