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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Suborbital and Orbital Advancement
and Regulatory Streamlining Act'' or the ''SOARS Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH LICENSING.

Chapter 509 of title 51, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by amending section 50902(6)(A) to read as follows:
''(A) activities involved in the preparation of a
launch vehicle or element thereof, payload, crew
(including crew training), or space flight participant
(including space flight participant training) for
launch; and'';
(2) by amending section 50904(d) to read as follows:
''(d) Single License or Permit.--The Secretary of Transportation--
''(1) shall ensure that only 1 license or permit is
required from the Department of Transportation to conduct
activities involving crew or space flight participants,
including launch and reentry;
''(2) may authorize by license or permit flight of a launch
or reentry vehicle, or element thereof, in support of a launch
or reentry, even when the vehicle or element is not being
launched or reentered; and
''(3) shall ensure that all Department of Transportation
regulations relevant to the licensed or permitted activity are
satisfied under a single license or permit.''; and
(3) in section 50906--
(A) in subsection (e), by striking ''suborbital
rocket design'' and inserting ''suborbital rocket or
rocket design''; and
(B) by amending subsection (g) to read as follows:
''(g) A permit may be issued, and a permit that has already been
issued shall remain valid for the uses described in subsection (d), for
a particular reusable suborbital rocket or rocket design after a
license has been issued for the launch or reentry of a rocket of that
design.''.

SEC. 3. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish
and implement, under the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, a
demonstration project under chapter 509 of title 51, United States
Code, to evaluate the benefits of using experimental aircraft for both
the direct and indirect support of commercial space launch and reentry
activities.
(b) Duration and Scope.--
(1) Duration.--Beginning not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation
shall conduct the demonstration project for a period of not
less than 3 years.
(2) Scope.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary of Transportation
shall enroll not less than 8 commercial businesses
involved in direct and indirect support of commercial
space launch activities, with at least 1 business
designated for each Department of Transportation-
licensed commercial space launch facility.
(B) Types of activities.--Such commercial space
launch support activities may include revenue-producing
activities and the use of former military aircraft or
vehicles designated as experimental by the Department
of Transportation.
(C) Redeployment.--After a period of 6 months from
the beginning of the demonstration program, the
Secretary of Transportation shall determine if there
are any Department of Transportation-licensed launch
facilities that do not have a commercial company
participating with them in the demonstration project
and shall redeploy that demonstration allocation to any
other licensed launch facilities that are interested in
expanding their participation to a second (or more)
demonstration project company.
(3) Liability coverage.--During the period of the
demonstration program, liability of participating commercial
businesses for damages resulting from participation in the
demonstration program shall be limited to actual losses
incurred.
(4) Payment.--There will be no fees charged by the
Department of Transportation to either licensed launch
facilities or commercial businesses participating in this
demonstration project.
(5) Waiver authority.--The Secretary of Transportation may
waive such requirements or limitations of chapter 509 of title
51, United States Code, as may be necessary to carry out the
demonstration project.
(6) Study and report to congress.--
(A) Interim evaluation and report.--No sooner than
1 year and not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation
shall submit to Congress a report that contains an
interim evaluation of the positive and negative impact
of the demonstration project on the United States
commercial space transportation industry, any planned
changes to the demonstration project, and an initial
assessment of whether the duration of the demonstration
project should be extended.
(B) Further evaluation and report.--Not later than
6 months after the date of completion of the
demonstration project or 2 years after the most recent
prior report, the Secretary of Transportation shall
submit to Congress a report that contains the
following:
(i) An updated evaluation of the impact of
the demonstration project on the United States
commercial space transportation industry.
(ii) An analysis of the benefits and costs
of continuing, restarting, expanding, or making
permanent the demonstration project, including
any proposed changes to the project.
(iii) The Secretary's recommendation
regarding continuing, restarting, expanding, or
making permanent the demonstration project,
based on the analysis under clause (ii).
(iv) Options for Congress to provide any
additional legislative or regulatory authority
which may be required to implement clause
(iii).
(7) Temporary extensions.--If, at any time after the first
two years of the demonstration project, the Secretary's most
recent report to Congress has stated that the demonstration
project is succeeding in advancing the purposes of chapter 509
of title 51, United States Code, and that the duration of the
demonstration project should be extended, then the Secretary is
authorized to extend the project for a period of up to two
years per extension, without restriction, effective 30 days
after written notification to the Congress of the extension.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Demonstration project.--The term ''demonstration
project'' means the demonstration project conducted under this
section.
(2) Indirect support of commercial space launch
activities.--The term ''indirect support of commercial space
launch activities'' shall include pilot, crew, and passenger
evaluation, preparation, and training, payload testing and
preparation, and any other activities deemed necessary by the
commercial space launch company participating in the
demonstration project to prepare for, or execute, a commercial
suborbital or orbital launch.
Suborbital and Orbital Advancement and Regulatory Streamlining Act or SOARS Act - Amends commercial space launch licensing requirements. Revises the definition of "launch services" to include activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle (as under current law) or element thereof, including space flight participant training for a launch. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue a single license or permit for flight of a launch or reentry vehicle, or element thereof, in support of a launch or reentry, even when the vehicle or element is not being launched or reentered. Requires the Secretary to ensure that all DOT regulations for a licensed or permitted launch or reentry are satisfied under a single license or permit. Authorizes the issuance of an experimental permit for a particular reusable suborbital rocket (as under current law) or rocket design after a license has been issued for the launch or reentry of a rocket of that design. Declares that any permits already issued shall remain valid for research and development (R&D) and other specified purposes. Directs the Secretary to establish, under the Office of Commercial Space Transportation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a demonstration project to evaluate the benefits of using experimental aircraft for both the direct and indirect support of commercial space launch and reentry activities.