14 C.F.R. Subpart C—Safety Review and Approval for Launch From a Federal Launch Range
Title 14 - Aeronautics and Space
(a) The FAA conducts a safety review to determine whether an applicant is capable of launching a launch vehicle and its payload without jeopardizing public health and safety and safety of property. The FAA issues a safety approval to a license applicant proposing to launch from a federal launch range if the applicant satisfies the requirements of this subpart and has contracted with the federal launch range for the provision of safety-related launch services and property, as long as those launch services and the proposed use of launch property are within the federal launch range's experience. The FAA evaluates on an individual basis all other safety-related launch services and property associated with an applicant's proposal. A safety approval is part of the licensing record on which the FAA's licensing determination is based. (b) The FAA advises an applicant, in writing, of any issue raised during a safety review that would impede issuance of a safety approval. The applicant may respond, in writing, or revise its license application. (a) An applicant shall maintain a safety organization and document it by identifying lines of communication and approval authority for all launch safety decisions. Lines of communication, both within the applicant's organization and between the applicant and any federal launch range providing launch services, shall be employed to ensure that personnel perform launch safety operations in accordance with range safety requirements and with plans and procedures required by this subpart. Approval authority shall be employed to ensure compliance with range safety requirements and with plans and procedures required by this subpart. (b) Safety official. An applicant shall identify by name, title, and qualifications, a qualified safety official authorized to examine all aspects of the applicant's launch safety operations and to monitor independently personnel compliance with the applicant's safety policies and procedures. The safety official shall report directly to the person responsible for an applicant's licensed launches, who shall ensure that all of the safety official's concerns are addressed prior to launch. (a) Flight risk through orbital insertion or impact. Acceptable flight risk through orbital insertion for an orbital launch vehicle, and through impact for a suborbital launch vehicle, is measured in terms of the expected average number of casualties (Ec) to the collective members of the public exposed to debris hazards from any one launch. To obtain safety approval, an applicant shall demonstrate that the risk level associated with debris from an applicant's proposed launch shall not exceed an expected average number of 0.00003 casualties per launch (Ec ≤ 30 × 10−6). (b) Hazard identification and risk assessment. To demonstrate compliance with this section, an applicant shall submit an analysis that identifies hazards and assesses risks to public health and safety and safety of property associated with nominal and non-nominal flight under its launch proposal. (c) A launch vehicle shall be designed to ensure that flight risks meet the criteria set forth in this section. An applicant shall identify and describe the following: (1) Launch vehicle structure, including physical dimensions and weight; (2) Hazardous and safety critical systems, including propulsion systems; and (3) Drawings and schematics for each system identified under paragraph (c)(2) of this section. (d) A launch vehicle shall be operated in a manner that ensures that flight risks meet the criteria set forth in this section. An applicant shall identify all launch operations and procedures that must be performed to ensure acceptable flight risks. (a) Flight readiness requirements. An applicant shall designate an individual responsible for flight readiness. The applicant shall submit the following procedures for verifying readiness for safe flight: (1) Launch readiness review procedures involving the applicant's flight safety personnel and federal launch range personnel involved in the launch. The procedures shall ensure a launch readiness review is conducted during which the individual designated under paragraph (a) of this section is provided with the following information to make a judgement as to flight readiness: (i) Flight-readiness of safety-related launch property and services to be provided by a federal launch range; (ii) Flight-readiness of launch vehicle and payload; (iii) Flight-readiness of flight safety systems; (iv) Mission rules and launch constraints; (v) Abort, hold and recycle procedures; (vi) Results of dress rehearsals and simulations conducted in accordance with paragraph (a)(4) of this section; (vii) Unresolved safety issues as of the launch readiness review and plans for addressing and resolving them; and (viii) Any additional safety information required by the individual designated under paragraph (a) of this section to determine flight readiness. (2) Procedures that ensure mission constraints, rules and abort procedures are listed and consolidated in a safety directive or notebook approved by licensee flight safety and federal launch range personnel; (3) Procedures that ensure currency and consistency of licensee and federal launch range countdown checklists; (4) Dress rehearsal procedures that— (i) Ensure crew readiness under nominal and non-nominal flight conditions; (ii) Contain criteria for determining whether to dispense with one or more dress rehearsals; and (iii) Verify currency and consistency of licensee and federal launch range countdown checklists. (5) Procedures for ensuring the licensee's flight safety personnel adhere to federal launch range crew rest rules. (b) Communications plan requirements. An applicant shall submit a communications plan providing licensee and federal launch range personnel communications procedures during countdown and flight. Effective issuance and communication of safety-critical information during countdown shall include hold/resume, go/no go and abort commands by licensee and federal launch range personnel during countdown. The communications plan shall describe the authority of licensee and federal launch range personnel, by individual or position title, to issue these commands. The communications plan shall also ensure that— (1) Communication networks are assigned so that personnel identified under paragraph (b) of this section have direct access to real-time safety-critical information required for issuing hold/resume, go/no go and abort decisions and commands; (2) Personnel identified under paragraph (b) of this section monitor common intercom channel(s) during countdown and flight; and (3) A protocol is established for utilizing defined radio telephone communications terminology. (c) An applicant shall submit procedures that ensure that licensee and federal launch range personnel receive a copy of the communications plan required by paragraph (b) of this section, and that the federal launch range concurs in the communications plan. To obtain safety approval, an applicant must demonstrate for any proposed launch that for all launch vehicle stages or components that reach earth orbit— (a) There will be no unplanned physical contact between the vehicle or its components and the payload after payload separation; (b) Debris generation will not result from the conversion of energy sources into energy that fragments the vehicle or its components. Energy sources include chemical, pressure, and kinetic energy; and (c) Stored energy will be removed by depleting residual fuel and leaving all fuel line valves open, venting any pressurized system, leaving all batteries in a permanent discharge state, and removing any remaining source of stored energy. Other equivalent procedures may be approved in the course of the licensing process. (a) An applicant shall submit an accident investigation plan (AIP) containing the applicant's procedures for reporting and responding to launch accidents, launch incidents, or other mishaps, as defined in §401.5 of this chapter. The AIP shall be signed by an individual authorized to sign and certify the application in accordance with §413.7(c) of this chapter, and the safety official designated under §415.33(b) of this subpart. (b) Reporting requirements. An AIP shall provide for— (1) Immediate notification to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Washington Operations Center in case of a launch accident, a launch incident or a mishap that involves a fatality or serious injury (as defined in 49 CFR §830.2). (2) Notification within 24 hours to the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Washington Operations Center in the event of a mishap, other than those in §415.41 (b) (1), that does not involve a fatality or serious injury (as defined in 49 CFR 830.2). (3) Submission of a written preliminary report to the FAA, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, in the event of a launch accident or launch incident, as defined in §401.5 of this chapter, within five days of the event. The report shall identify the event as either a launch accident or launch incident, and shall include the following information: (i) Date and time of occurrence; (ii) Description of event; (iii) Location of launch; (iv) Launch vehicle; (v) Any payload; (vi) Vehicle impact points outside designated impact lines, if applicable; (vii) Number and general description of any injuries; (viii) Property damage, if any, and an estimate of its value; (ix) Identification of hazardous materials, as defined in §401.5 of this chapter, involved in the event, whether on the launch vehicle, payload, or on the ground; (x) Action taken by any person to contain the consequences of the event; and (xi) Weather conditions at the time of the event. (c) Response plan. An AIP shall contain procedures that— (1) Ensure the consequences of a launch accident, launch incident or other mishap are contained and minimized; (2) Ensure data and physical evidence is preserved; (3) Require the licensee to report to and cooperate with FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations and designate one or more points of contact for the FAA or NTSB; and (4) Require the licensee to identify and adopt preventive measures for avoiding recurrence of the event. (d) Investigation plan. An AIP shall contain— (1) Procedures for investigating the cause of a launch accident, launch incident or other mishap; (2) Procedures for reporting investigation results to the FAA; and (3) Delineated responsibilities, including reporting responsibilities for personnel assigned to conduct investigations and for any one retained by the licensee to conduct or participate in investigations. The FAA notifies an applicant, in writing, if it has denied safety approval for a license application. The notice states the reasons for the FAA's determination. The applicant may respond to the reasons for the determination and request reconsideration.
Title 14: Aeronautics and Space
PART 415—LAUNCH LICENSE
Subpart C—Safety Review and Approval for Launch From a Federal Launch Range
§ 415.31 General.
§ 415.33 Safety organization.
§ 415.35 Acceptable flight risk.
§ 415.37 Flight readiness and communications plan.
§ 415.39 Safety at end of launch.
§ 415.41 Accident investigation plan.
§ 415.43 Denial of safety approval.
§§ 415.44-415.50 [Reserved]
