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14 C.F.R. §§ 450.181–450.189

5 sections in range

§450.181. Coordination with a site operator.

14 C.F.R. § 450.181

(a)
General. For a launch or reentry conducted from or to a Federal launch or reentry site or a site licensed under part 420 or 433 of this chapter, an operator must coordinate with the site operator to—
(1)
Ensure public access is controlled where and when necessary to protect public safety;
(2)
Ensure launch or reentry operations are coordinated with other launch and reentry operators and other affected parties to prevent unsafe interference;
(3)
Designate any ground hazard area that affects the operations of a launch or reentry site; and
(4)
Ensure a prompt and effective response is undertaken in the event of a mishap that could impact the safety of the public and property.
(b)
Licensed site operator. For a launch or reentry conducted from or to a site licensed under part 420 or 433 of this chapter, an operator must also coordinate with the site operator to establish roles and responsibilities for reporting, responding to, and investigating any mishap during ground activities at the site.
(c)
Application requirement. An applicant must describe how it is coordinating with a Federal or licensed launch or reentry site operator in compliance with this section.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

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

Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

§450.183. Explosive site plan.

14 C.F.R. § 450.183

(a)
Explosive siting requirements. For a launch or reentry conducted from or to a site exclusive to its own use, an operator must comply with the explosive siting requirements of §§ 420.63, 420.65, 420.66, 420.67, 420.69, and 420.70 of this chapter.
(b)
Application requirement. An applicant must submit an explosive site plan in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

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

Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

§450.185. Ground hazard analysis.

14 C.F.R. § 450.185

An operator must perform and document a ground hazard analysis, and continue to maintain it throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system. The analysis must—
(a)
Hazard identification. Identify system and operation hazards posed by the vehicle and ground hardware, including site and ground support equipment. Hazards identified must include the following:
(1)
System hazards, including—
(i)
Vehicle over-pressurization;
(ii)
Sudden energy release, including ordnance actuation;
(iii)
Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation;
(iv)
Fire or deflagration;
(v)
Radioactive materials;
(vi)
Toxic release;
(vii)
Cryogens;
(viii)
Electrical discharge; and
(ix)
Structural failure.
(2)
Operation hazards, including—
(i)
Propellant handling and loading;
(ii)
Transporting of vehicle or vehicle components;
(iii)
Vehicle testing; and
(iv)
Vehicle or system activation.
(b)
Hazard assessment. Assess each hazard's likelihood and severity.
(c)
Risk acceptability criteria. Ensure that the risk associated with each hazard meets the following criteria:
(1)
The likelihood of any hazardous condition that may cause death or serious injury to the public must be extremely remote; and
(2)
The likelihood of any hazardous condition that may cause major damage to property not associated with the launch or reentry must be remote.
(d)
Risk mitigation. Identify and describe the risk elimination and mitigation measures required to satisfy paragraph (c) of this section.
(e)
Validation and verification. Document that the risk elimination and mitigation measures achieve the risk levels of paragraph (c) of this section through validation and verification. Verification includes:
(1)
Analysis;
(2)
Test;
(3)
Demonstration; or
(4)
Inspection.
(f)
Application requirements. An applicant must submit—
(1)
A description of the methodology used to perform the ground hazard analysis;
(2)
A list of all systems and operations that may cause a hazard involving the vehicle or any payload; and
(3)
The ground hazard analysis products of paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section, including data that verifies the risk elimination and mitigation measures.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

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

Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

§450.187. Toxic hazards mitigation for ground operations.

14 C.F.R. § 450.187

(a)
Applicability.
(1)
Except as specified in paragraph (a)(2), this section applies to any launch or reentry vehicle, including all vehicle components and payloads, that use toxic propellants or other toxic chemicals.
(2)
No toxic release hazard analysis is required for kerosene-based fuels, unless the Administrator determines that an analysis is required to protect public safety.
(b)
General. An operator must—
(1)
Conduct a toxic release hazard analysis in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section;
(2)
Manage the risk of casualties that could arise from the exposure to toxic release through one of the following means:
(i)
Contain hazards caused by toxic release in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section; or
(ii)
Perform a toxic risk assessment, in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section, that demonstrates compliance with the risk criteria of § 450.185(c).
(3)
Establish ground hazard controls based on the results of its toxic release hazard analysis and toxic containment or toxic risk assessment for any necessary evacuation of the public from any toxic hazard area.
(c)
Toxic release hazard analysis. A toxic release hazard analysis must—
(1)
Account for any toxic release that could occur during nominal or non-nominal launch or reentry ground operations;
(2)
Include a worst-case release scenario analysis or a maximum-credible release scenario analysis for each process that involves a toxic propellant or other chemical;
(3)
Determine if toxic release can occur based on an evaluation of the chemical compositions and quantities of propellants, other chemicals, vehicle materials, and projected combustion products, and the possible toxic release scenarios;
(4)
Account for both normal combustion products and any unreacted propellants and phase change or chemical derivatives of released substances; and
(5)
Account for any operational constraints and emergency procedures that provide protection from toxic release.
(d)
Toxic containment. An operator using toxic containment must manage the risk of casualty from the exposure to toxic release either by—
(1)
Evacuating, or being prepared to evacuate, the public from any toxic hazard area in the event of a worst-case release or maximum credible release scenario; or
(2)
Employing meteorological constraints to limit a ground operation to times during which prevailing winds and other conditions ensure that the public would not be exposed to toxic concentrations and durations greater than accepted toxic thresholds for acute casualty in the event of a worst-case release or maximum credible release scenario.
(e)
Toxic risk assessment. An operator using toxic risk assessment must manage the risk from any toxic release hazard and demonstrate compliance with the criteria in § 450.185(c). A toxic risk assessment must—
(1)
Account for airborne concentration and duration thresholds of toxic propellants or other chemicals. For any toxic propellant, other chemicals, or combustion product, an operator must use airborne toxic concentration and duration thresholds identified in a means of compliance accepted by the Administrator;
(2)
Account for physical phenomena expected to influence any toxic concentration and duration in the area surrounding the potential release site;
(3)
Determine a toxic hazard area for each process surrounding the potential release site for each toxic propellant or other chemical based on the amount and toxicity of the propellant or other chemical, the exposure duration, and the meteorological conditions involved;
(4)
Account for all members of the public that may be exposed to the toxic release; and
(5)
Account for any risk mitigation measures applied in the risk assessment.
(f)
Application requirements. An applicant must submit:
(1)
The identity of the toxic propellant, chemical, or combustion products or derivatives in the possible toxic release;
(2)
The applicant's selected airborne toxic concentration and duration thresholds;
(3)
The meteorological conditions for the atmospheric transport and buoyant cloud rise of any toxic release from its source to downwind receptor locations;
(4)
Characterization of the terrain, as input for modeling the atmospheric transport of a toxic release from its source to downwind receptor locations;
(5)
The identity of the toxic dispersion model used, and any other input data;
(6)
Representative results of an applicant's toxic dispersion modeling to predict concentrations and durations at selected downwind receptor locations, to determine the toxic hazard area for a released quantity of the toxic substance;
(7)
For toxic release hazard analysis in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section—
(i)
A description of the failure modes and associated relative probabilities for potential toxic release scenarios used in the risk evaluation; and
(ii)
The methodology and representative results of an applicant's determination of the worst-case or maximum-credible quantity of any toxic release that might occur during ground operations;
(8)
For toxic containment in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section, identify the evacuation plans or meteorological constraints and associated ground hazard controls needed to ensure that the public will not be within any toxic hazard area in the event of a worst-case release or maximum credible release scenario.
(9)
For toxic risk assessment in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section—
(i)
A demonstration that the risk criteria in § 450.185(c) will be met;
(ii)
The population characteristics in receptor locations that are identified by toxic dispersion modeling as toxic hazard areas;
(iii)
A description of any risk mitigation measures applied in the toxic risk assessment; and
(iv)
A description of the population exposure input data used in accordance with § 450.123.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

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

Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

§450.189. Ground safety prescribed hazard controls.

14 C.F.R. § 450.189

(a)
General. In addition to the hazard controls derived from an operator's ground hazard analysis and toxic hazard analysis, an operator must comply with paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section.
(b)
Protection of public on the site. An operator must document a process for protecting members of the public who enter any area under the control of a launch or reentry operator, including:
(1)
Procedures for identifying and tracking the public while on the site; and
(2)
Methods the operator uses to protect the public from hazards in accordance with the ground hazard analysis and toxic hazard analysis.
(c)
Countdown abort. Following a countdown abort or recycle operation, an operator must establish, maintain, and perform procedures for controlling hazards related to the vehicle and returning the vehicle, stages, or other flight hardware and site facilities to a safe condition. When a launch vehicle does not liftoff after a command to initiate flight was sent, an operator must—
(1)
Ensure that the vehicle and any payload are in a safe configuration;
(2)
Prohibit entry of the public into any identified hazard areas until the site is returned to a safe condition; and
(3)
Maintain and verify that any flight safety system remains operational until verification that the launch vehicle does not represent a risk of inadvertent flight.
(d)
Fire suppression. An operator must have reasonable precautions in place to report and control any fire caused by licensed activities.
(e)
Emergency procedures. An operator must have general emergency procedures that apply to any emergencies not covered by the mishap plan of § 450.173 that may create a hazard to the public.
(f)
Application requirement. An applicant must submit the process for protecting members of the public who enter any area under the control of a launch or reentry operator in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

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

Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.