Commercial Space Transportation Regulations

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• |  Updated: 3:05 pm ET June 16, 2009

Legislation

• 49 USC, Subtitle IX, Chapter 701 Commercial Space Launch Activities (PDF)

Regulations

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

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)

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

• 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

Historical 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)

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

• Financial Responsibility Requirements as Determined by the MPL Process (PDF) (01/12/2007)
• 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) (02/22/2001)

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) (05/1/2005)
• 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) (03/31/2003)
• 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) (02/11/2005)
• Draft Guidelines for Commercial Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations with Space Flight Participants (PDF) (02/11/2005)
• 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)