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.
United States115th CongressHR-2571House of Representatives
Updated: May 22, 2018
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.
Bill texts
All available records shown.
Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
House of Representatives
Referred to the Subcommittee on Space.
House of Representatives
All available records shown.