§50904. Restrictions on launches, operations, and reentries — Inbound Citations

(1) The Secretary of Transportation shall impose a fee, which shall be deposited in the account established under subsection (b), on each launch or reentry carried out under a license or permit issued under section 50904 during 2026 or a subsequent year, in an amount equal to the lesser of—

(A) the amount specified in paragraph (2) for the year involved per pound of the weight of the payload; or

(B) the amount specified in paragraph (3) for the year involved.

(14) except in section 50904(c), “permit” means an experimental permit issued under section 50906.

(a) A licensee under this chapter must allow the Secretary of Transportation to place an officer or employee of the United States Government or another individual as an observer at a launch site or reentry site the licensee uses, at a production facility or assembly site a contractor of the licensee uses to produce or assemble a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle, at a site not owned or operated by the Federal Government or a foreign government used for crew, government astronaut, or space flight participant training, or at a site at which a payload is integrated with a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle. The observer will monitor the activity of the licensee or contractor at the time and to the extent the Secretary considers reasonable to ensure compliance with the license or to carry out the duties of the Secretary under sections 50904(c), 50905, and 50906 of this title. A licensee must cooperate with an observer carrying out this subsection.

(2) an owner or operator of a payload under this chapter, for a decision of the Secretary under section 50904(c) of this title to prevent the launch or reentry of the payload; and