I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2571 
To amend title 51 of the United States Code to improve the safety of 
commercial space flight operations by authorizing the operation of air-
craft with experimental certificates carrying persons or property to sup-
port research and training for space flight participants and crew, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2017 
Mr. POSEY (for himself and Mr. BRIDENSTINE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To amend title 51 of the United States Code to improve 
the safety of commercial space flight operations by au-
thorizing the operation of aircraft with experimental cer-
tificates carrying persons or property to support research 
and training for space flight participants and crew, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Spaceflight Training 
and Astronaut Reform Act’’ or the ‘‘STAR Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPERIMENTAL PERMITS FOR SPACE SUPPORT VE-
HICLES. 
(a) DEFINITION OF SPACE SUPPORT VEHICLE.—Sec-
tion 50902 of title 51, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (21) through 
(25) as paragraphs (22) through (26), respectively; 
and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (20) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(21) ‘space support vehicle’ means an aircraft 
operating at a spaceport licensed by the Federal 
Aviation Administration that simulates space flight 
conditions in support of— 
‘‘(A) training for space flight participants 
or crew; or 
‘‘(B) testing of space flight hardware.’’. 
(b) EXPERIMENTAL PERMITS.—Section 50906 of 
such title is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘space support vehicles,’’ 
after ‘‘reentry vehicles,’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘or training’’ after ‘‘re-
entry activities’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘only for reusable sub-
orbital rockets or reusable launch vehicles that 
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will be launched into a suborbital trajectory or 
reentered’’ and inserting ‘‘for reusable sub-
orbital rockets, reusable launch vehicles, or 
space support vehicles, that will be launched 
into a suborbital trajectory, reentered, or flown 
for training or research purposes’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, or 
simulating launch, reentry, or space flight con-
ditions’’ before the period; and 
(3) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘or for a 
particular space support vehicle,’’ before ‘‘for the 
uses described in subsection (d)’’. 
(c) LETTER OF DEVIATION REQUIRED FOR EXPERI-
MENTAL PERMIT HOLDER.—Section 50906 of such title 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection 
(j); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) A space support vehicle may not operate under 
an experimental permit under this section unless such ve-
hicle has a valid letter of deviation authority in accordance 
with section 91.319(h) of title 14, Code of Federal Regula-
tions or any similar successor regulation. The Secretary 
shall issue such letter of deviation authority not later than 
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60 days after the provision of an experimental permit 
under this section, to the extent consistent with maintain-
ing the public health and safety and the safety of prop-
erty.’’. 
Æ 
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