Title: STAR Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Spaceflight Training and Astronaut Reform Act or the STAR Act
This bill includes space support vehicles and training among the vehicles and purposes, respectively, for which the Department of Transportation (DOT) may establish safety approval procedures relating to an experimental permit for conducting commercial space launch or reentry activities.
A "space support vehicle" is defined as an aircraft operating at a spaceport licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration that simulates space flight conditions in support of training for space flight participants or crew or testing of space flight hardware.
The bill expands the vehicles for which DOT may issue an experimental permit to include reusable suborbital rockets, reusable launch vehicles, or space support vehicles, that will be launched into a suborbital trajectory, reentered, or flown for training or research purposes, including to simulate launch, reentry, or space flight conditions.
The bill prohibits a space support vehicle from operating under a permit issued pursuant to this bill unless it has a valid letter of deviation authority. DOT shall issue such letter within 60 days after the permit is provided, to the extent consistent with maintaining health and safety.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2571 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 
aircraft with experimental certificates carrying persons or property to 
 support 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 authorizing the operation of 
aircraft with experimental certificates 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 Representatives 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''.

SEC. 2. EXPERIMENTAL PERMITS FOR SPACE SUPPORT VEHICLES.

    (a) Definition of Space Support Vehicle.--Section 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 following:
            ``(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 ``reentry 
                activities'';
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``only for reusable suborbital 
                rockets or reusable launch vehicles that will be 
                launched into a suborbital trajectory or reentered'' 
                and inserting ``for reusable suborbital 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 
                conditions'' 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 Experimental 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 following:
    ``(i) A space support vehicle may not operate under an experimental 
permit under this section unless such vehicle has a valid letter of 
deviation authority in accordance with section 91.319(h) of title 14, 
Code of Federal Regulations or any similar successor regulation. The 
Secretary shall issue such letter of deviation authority not later than 
60 days after the provision of an experimental permit under this 
section, to the extent consistent with maintaining the public health 
and safety and the safety of property.''.
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