IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5346 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 28, 2018 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To amend title 51, United States Code, to provide for licenses and experimental permits for space support vehicles, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commercial Space 

3 Support Vehicle Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 Section 50902 of title 51, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (21) through 

8 (25) as paragraphs (23) through (27), respectively; 

9 and 

10 (2) by inserting after paragraph (20) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(21) ‘space support flight’ means a flight 

13 in the air that is— 

14 ‘‘(A) not a launch or reentry; but 

15 ‘‘(B) related to launch or reentry serv16 ices. 

17 ‘‘(22) ‘space support vehicle’ means a vehi18 cle that is— 

19 ‘‘(A) a launch vehicle; 

20 ‘‘(B) a reentry vehicle; or 

21 ‘‘(C) a component of a launch or re22 entry vehicle.’’. 

23 SEC. 3. LICENSING OF SPACE SUPPORT FLIGHTS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 50904 of title 51, United 

25 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol26 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(e) SPACE SUPPORT FLIGHTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) The Secretary of Transportation may issue 

3 or transfer a license for multiple space support 

4 flights of a space support vehicle to a citizen of the 

5 United States, but only if such citizen holds an oper6 ator license issued under this chapter for launch or 

7 reentry of such space support vehicle as, or included 

8 as a component of, a launch vehicle or reentry vehi9 cle. 

10 ‘‘(2) A licensee may only carry out a space sup11 port flight of a space support vehicle under a license 

12 for carrying a person or property for compensation 

13 or hire if such flight lands at the same site from 

14 which the vehicle took flight.’’. 

15 (b) LIMITATION ON WAVIER OF REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 Section 50905(b)(3) of title 51, United States Code, is 

17 amended by inserting ‘‘, or the operation of a space sup18 port vehicle,’’ after ‘‘or a reentry vehicle’’. 

19 SEC. 4. EXPERIMENTAL PERMITS FOR SPACE SUPPORT 

20 FLIGHTS. 

21 Section 50906 of title 51, United States Code, is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(d) The Secretary may issue a permit only for— 


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1 ‘‘(1) reusable suborbital rockets or reusable 

2 launch vehicles that will be launched into a sub3 orbital trajectory or reentered under that permit 

4 solely for— 

5 ‘‘(A) research and development to test de6 sign concepts, equipment, or operating tech7 niques; 

8 ‘‘(B) showing compliance with require9 ments as part of the process for obtaining a li10 cense for launch or reentry under this chapter; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(C) crew training for a launch or reentry 

13 using the design of the rocket or vehicle for 

14 which the permit would be issued; or 

15 ‘‘(2) a space support vehicle, or a vehicle that 

16 is in development to become a space support vehicle, 

17 operated by a citizen of the United States for space 

18 support flights that will be conducted under the per19 mit for, or in support of, the purposes described in 

20 subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1).’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(h) No person may, under a permit, operate a reus25 able suborbital rocket, reusable launch vehicle, or space 


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1 support vehicle for carrying any property or human being 

2 for compensation or hire.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY. 

4 Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 

5 Act shall be construed to limit the authority of the Sec6 retary of Transportation to discuss potential regulatory 

7 approaches, potential performance standards, or any other 

8 topic related to this Act and the amendments made by 

9 this Act with the commercial space industry prior to the 

10 issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking. 

11 SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by this 

13 Act shall take effect on March 1, 2019. 

14 (b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Transportation 

15 may issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out 

16 the amendments made by this Act beginning on the date 

17 of enactment of this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 27, 2018. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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