---
kind: "section"
citation: "14 C.F.R. § 420.23"
title: "14"
number: "420.23"
heading: "Launch site location review—flight corridor."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/14/420.23"
---

# §420.23. Launch site location review—flight corridor.

- (a) **Guided orbital expendable launch vehicle.** For a guided orbital expendable launch vehicle, an applicant shall define a flight corridor that:
  - (1) Encompasses an area that the applicant estimates, in accordance with the requirements of this part, to contain debris with a ballistic coefficient of ≥3 pounds per square foot, from any non-nominal flight of a guided orbital expendable launch vehicle from the launch point to a point 5000 nm downrange, or where the IIP leaves the surface of the Earth, whichever is shorter;
  - (2) Includes an overflight exclusion zone where the public risk criteria of 1 × 10−4 would be exceeded if one person were present in the open; and
  - (3) **Uses one of the methodologies provided in appendix A or B of this part.**
- (b) **Guided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle.** For a guided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle, an applicant shall define a flight corridor that:
  - (1) Encompasses an area that the applicant estimates, in accordance with the requirements of this part, to contain debris with a ballistic coefficient of ≥3 pounds per square foot, from any non-nominal flight of a guided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle from the launch point to impact with the earth's surface;
  - (2) Includes an impact dispersion area for the launch vehicle's last stage;
  - (3) Includes an overflight exclusion zone where the public risk criteria of 1 × 10−4 would be exceeded if one person were present in the open; and
  - (4) **Uses one of the methodologies provided in appendix A or B to this part.**
- (c) **Unguided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle.**
  - (1) For an unguided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle, an applicant shall define the following using the methodology provided by appendix D of this part:
    - (i) Impact dispersion areas that the applicant estimates, in accordance with the requirements of this part, to contain the impact of launch vehicle stages from nominal flight of an unguided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicle from the launch point to impact with the earth's surface; and
    - (ii) An overflight exclusion zone where the public risk criteria of 1 × 10−4 would be exceeded if one person were present in the open.
  - (2) An applicant shall base its analysis on an unguided suborbital launch vehicle whose final launch vehicle stage apogee represents the intended use of the launch point.
- (d) **Reusable launch vehicle.** For a reusable launch vehicle, an applicant shall define a flight corridor that contains the hazardous debris from nominal and non-nominal flight of a reusable launch vehicle. The applicant must provide a clear and convincing demonstration of the validity of its flight corridor.

## Notes

### Amendments

[Docket No. FAA-1999-5833, 65 FR 62861, Oct. 19, 2000, as amended by Docket No. FAA-2014-0418, Amdt. No. 420-7, 81 FR 47026, July 20, 2016; Doc. No. FAA-2016-6761, Amdt. No. 420-8, 83 FR 28535, June 20, 2018]

### Authority

Authority: 51 U.S.C. 50901-50923.

### Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-1999-5833, 65 FR 62861, Oct. 19, 2000, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[Docket No. FAA-1999-5833, 65 FR 62861, Oct. 19, 2000, as amended by Docket No. FAA-2014-0418, Amdt. No. 420-7, 81 FR 47026, July 20, 2016; Doc. No. FAA-2016-6761, Amdt. No. 420-8, 83 FR 28535, June 20, 2018]