Title: Commercial Space Transportation Safety Act of 2019
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Commercial Space Transportation Safety Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate a commercial space transportation accident in which there is (1) a known impact of a commercial launch vehicle, the payload of such vehicle, or any component thereof outside of the hazard area designated for the launch or reentry of such vehicle; (2) a fatality or significant injury of any individual, regardless of whether the individual was on board the commercial launch vehicle at the time of the accident; or (3) substantial damage to property that is not associated with commercial space launch activities and that is not located at the launch site.
The NTSB shall seek to enter into a memorandum of understanding with any government agency with the authority to certify a commercial space transportation operation to delineate the conditions under which a commercial space transportation accident will be investigated by such agency rather than by the NTSB.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1562 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1562

To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide certain authority to 
  the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate commercial 
        space transportation accidents, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2019

  Mr. Graves of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. 
  Graves of Missouri, and Mr. DeFazio) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide certain authority to 
  the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate commercial 
        space transportation accidents, 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 ``Commercial Space Transportation 
Safety Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. GENERAL AUTHORITY OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD.

    (a) In General.--Section 1131(a)(1) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (E) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (G); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
            ``(F) a commercial space transportation accident in which 
        there is--
                    ``(i) a known impact of a commercial launch 
                vehicle, the payload of such vehicle, or any component 
                thereof outside of the hazard area designated for the 
                launch or reentry of such vehicle;
                    ``(ii) a fatality or significant injury of any 
                individual, regardless of whether the individual was on 
                board the commercial launch vehicle at the time of the 
                accident; or
                    ``(iii) substantial damage to property that is not 
                associated with commercial space launch activities and 
                that is not located at the launch site; and''.
    (b) Other Investigative Agencies.--Section 1131(a)(2) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(D) The Board shall seek to enter into a memorandum of 
understanding with any Government agency with the authority to certify 
a commercial space transportation operation. Such memoranda shall 
delineate the conditions under which a commercial space transportation 
accident that may be investigated by the Board under subparagraph (F) 
or (G) of paragraph (1) will instead be investigated by the other 
Government agency. Such memoranda may not preclude the Board's 
participation in the other Government agency's investigation.''.
    (c) Savings Provision.--None of the amendments made by subsection 
(a) shall be construed to limit the authority of the National 
Transportation Safety Board to investigate any other commercial space 
transportation accident that, in the judgement of the Board, falls 
under the authority of the Board under section 1131(a)(1)(G) (as 
redesignated by this Act).
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