51 U.S.C. § 50501 — Definitions
submitted 16 years ago by Pub. L. 111-314 to r/title-51-NATIONAL-AND-COMMERCIAL-SPACE-PROGRAMS · 502 words · no verdicts yet
This law defines 14 terms used throughout this chapter on commercial space activity. It covers words like "launch," "launch vehicle," "payload," and "commercial." These definitions set the meaning for every other section in the chapter.
This section defines terms used in this chapter.
(1) Agency. "Agency" means an executive agency, as defined in section 105 of title 5.
(2) Anchor tenancy. "Anchor tenancy" means a deal where the U.S. Government agrees to buy enough of a commercial space product or service to meet its own mission needs — enough that this purchase alone makes the commercial venture financially viable.
(3) Commercial. "Commercial" means an activity where (A) private capital is at risk, and (B) the private sector holds the main financial and management responsibility.
(4) Cost effective. "Cost effective" means costing no more than the available alternatives. This is measured by comparing all related direct and indirect costs — including, for government costs, government labor and overhead plus contractor charges — while also weighing each alternative's ability to meet mission needs, risk, reliability, schedule, and technical performance.
(5) Launch. "Launch" means placing, or trying to place, a launch vehicle and any payload into a suborbital trajectory, into Earth orbit, or otherwise into outer space.
(6) Launch services. "Launch services" means the activities of preparing a launch vehicle and payload for launch, plus carrying out the launch.
(7) Launch support facilities. "Launch support facilities" means facilities at launch sites or ranges needed to support launches — including vehicle assembly, launch operations and control, communications, flight safety, and payload operations, control, and processing.
(8) Launch vehicle. "Launch vehicle" means any vehicle built to operate in space or place a payload in space or on a suborbital path, including its components.
(9) Payload. "Payload" means an object someone undertakes to launch, including launch-vehicle subcomponents built specifically for that object.
(10) Payload integration services. "Payload integration services" means combining several payloads into one for launch, or joining a payload to a launch vehicle.
(11) Space recovery support facilities. "Space recovery support facilities" means facilities needed to support recovering payloads that return from space — including operations and control, communications, flight safety, and payload processing.
(12) Space transportation infrastructure. "Space transportation infrastructure" means the facilities, equipment, and real property — including launch sites, launch support facilities, space recovery sites, and space recovery support facilities — needed to launch or recover payloads.
(13) State. "State" means the states, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other U.S. commonwealth, territory, or possession.
(14) United States. "United States" means all the states, together.
In this chapter:
The term “anchor tenancy” means an arrangement in which the United States Government agrees to procure sufficient quantities of a commercial space product or service needed to meet Government mission requirements so that a commercial venture is made viable.
The term “commercial” means having—
private capital at risk; and
primary financial and management responsibility for the activity reside with the private sector.
The term “cost effective” means costing no more than the available alternatives, determined by a comparison of all related direct and indirect costs including, in the case of Government costs, applicable Government labor and overhead costs as well as contractor charges, and taking into account the ability of each alternative to accommodate mission requirements as well as the related factors of risk, reliability, schedule, and technical performance.
The term “launch” means to place, or attempt to place, a launch vehicle and its payload, if any, in a suborbital trajectory, in Earth orbit in outer space, or otherwise in outer space.
The term “launch services” means activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle and its payload for launch and the conduct of a launch.
The term “launch support facilities” means facilities located at launch sites or launch ranges that are required to support launch activities, including launch vehicle assembly, launch vehicle operations and control, communications, flight safety functions, and payload operations, control, and processing.
The term “launch vehicle” means any vehicle constructed for the purpose of operating in or placing a payload in outer space or in suborbital trajectories, and includes components of that vehicle.
The term “payload” means an object which a person undertakes to launch, and includes subcomponents of the launch vehicle specifically designed or adapted for that object.
The term “payload integration services” means activities involved in integrating multiple payloads into a single payload for launch or integrating a payload with a launch vehicle.
The term “space recovery support facilities” means facilities required to support activities related to the recovery of payloads returned from space to a space recovery site, including operations and control, communications, flight safety functions, and payload processing.
The term “space transportation infrastructure” means facilities, associated equipment, and real property (including launch sites, launch support facilities, space recovery sites, and space recovery support facilities) required to perform launch or space recovery activities.
The term “State” means the several States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
The term “United States” means the States, collectively.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 111–314, § 3, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3404.)
- 2010Enacted · Pub. L. 111-314 · 124 Stat. 3404
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 111-314 on 2010-12-18.
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