Source: http://groundbasedspacematters.com/index.php/2016/09/09/spaceports-as-contractors/
Timestamp: 2017-08-23 19:27:20
Document Index: 281663089

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 420', 'art 420', 'art 420', 'art 420', '§ 420', 'art 417', '§ 420', 'art 420', 'art 420', 'art 420']

Spaceports as Contractors | Spaceports as Contractors
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2 thoughts on “Spaceports as Contractors”
Herbert Bachner | September 14, 2016 at 8:23 pm
I came across your website and had a comment concerning your discussion about the spaceport as a contractor. I realize that there are financial considerations that are important but for safety purposes, the spaceport often has a responsibility to evaluate the launch operators activities and either approve or disapprove of them.
A while ago, while working on the Body of Knowledge (BOK) for Spaceports (http://contentdm.nmsu.edu), I prepared this short paper based on the part 420 requirements as it relates to both the launch operator and the space launch site operator. Stating that the spaceport is simply a “contractor” oversimplifies the safety responsibilities of the spaceport which are required under the launch license. Here’s the document I prepared.
Coordination Between the Launch Operator
and the Launch Site Operator Required by Part 420
Prepared for the New Mexico State University Spaceport Document Management System
a.	For a launch from a launch site licensed under part 420, a launch operator must—
(1)	Conduct its operations as required by any agreements that the launch site operator has with any Federal and local authorities under part 420 of this chapter; and
(2)	Coordinate with the launch site operator and provide any information on its activities and potential hazards necessary for the launch site operator to determine how to protect any other launch operator, person, or property at the launch site as required by the launch site operator’s obligations under § 420.55 of this chapter.
b.	A launch operator must maintain and document a safety organization. A launch operator must identify lines of communication and approval authority for all public safety decisions, including those regarding design, operations, and analysis. A launch operator must describe its lines of communication, both within the launch operator’s organization and between the launch operator and any federal launch range or other launch site operator providing launch services, in writing.
c.	A launch operator must identify any proposed facility modifications or operational changes that may affect a launch site operator’s explosive site plan.
d.	Part 417.11 paragraph 8f (3) Identifies agreements and procedures for coordinating use of radio frequencies with any launch site operator and any local and Federal authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission.
e.	The launch operator must communicate with the local Coast Guard and the FAA ATC office or equivalent local authorities, either directly or through any launch site operator, to ensure that notices to airmen and mariners are issued and in effect at the time of flight.
f.	The launch operator must coordinate test plans and all associated test procedures with any launch site operator or local authorities, as required by local agreements, associated with the operation;
g.	Flight safety crew members must complete a training and certification program to ensure launch site familiarization, launch vehicle familiarization, flight safety system functions, equipment, and procedures related to a launch before being called upon to support that launch.
h.	A launch operator must coordinate and perform launch processing and post-launch operations that satisfy local agreements to ensure the responsibilities and requirements in this part and § 420.57 of this chapter are met. A launch operator, when using a launch site of a licensed launch site operator, must coordinate the launch operator’s operations with the launch site operator and with any agreements that the launch site operator has with local authorities that form a basis for the launch site operator’s license.
i.	A launch operator must incorporate the launch site operator’s systems and operations involved in ensuring public safety into the ground safety analysis.
j.	A launch operator must ensure that (1) The explosive site plan satisfies part 420 of this chapter; Part 420 is the launch site license requirement.
k.	A launch operator must determine the vulnerability of its electro-explosive devices and systems to radio frequency radiation and establish radio frequency radiation power limits or radio frequency radiation exclusion areas as required by the launch site operator or to ensure safety.
lmontgomery | September 15, 2016 at 11:31 am
I definitely agree that the spaceport plays a safety role, and 14 CFR part 420 is the right place to start looking to find those obligations. Here, I wanted to emphasize a point that sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle, namely, that under the financial responsibility requirements, the spaceport is a contractor, and, as your comment emphasizes, involved in launch services.
Thanks for stopping by! It’s good to hear from you.