51 U.S.C. § 50922 — Regulations

(a) In General. Within 9 months of this section becoming law, the Secretary of Transportation had to issue regulations covering: guidelines so industry and states can get enough insurance for third-party damages; procedures to request and get commercial launch vehicle licenses; procedures for operator licenses for launch; procedures for launch site operator licenses; and procedures for applying government indemnification (the government paying certain claims). (b) Reentry. Within 6 months of this section becoming law, the Secretary had to issue a proposed rule covering: procedures to request and get reentry vehicle licenses; procedures for operator licenses for reentry; and procedures for reentry site operator licenses. (c) Amendments. Within 12 months of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 becoming law, the Secretary had to publish proposed regulations to carry out that Act, including rules on crew, space flight participants, and permits for reusable suborbital rockets. Final regulations were due within 18 months of that law. Starting 3 years after that 2004 law, the Secretary may issue final regulations that change the definition of "suborbital rocket" used in this chapter, but such a regulation can't take effect until 180 days after it's submitted to Congress. The Secretary can only change that definition after determining the current definition (in section 50902) doesn't cover — or won't keep covering — all the right vehicles and only those vehicles, taking into account how the commercial space launch industry keeps changing. (d) Effective Date. Licenses for human spaceflight launches or reentries, and permits, could be issued by the Secretary even before the regulations described in subsection (c) existed. As soon as practical after the 2004 Act became law, the Secretary had to issue guidelines or advisory circulars to help implement it until real regulations were ready. But starting three years after the 2004 Act became law, no human spaceflight licenses or permits may be issued unless the final regulations described in subsection (c) have actually been issued.