Sec. 717. Use of operational commercial suborbital vehicles for research, development, and education
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The Administrator shall develop a policy on the use of operational commercial reusable suborbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific and engineering investigations and educational activities. The Administrator shall prepare a plan on the Administration’s use of operational commercial reusable suborbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific and engineering investigations and educational activities. The plan shall— describe the purposes for which the Administration intends to use such vehicles; describe the processes required to support such use, including the criteria used to determine which scientific and engineering investigations and educational activities are selected for a suborbital flight; describe Administration, space flight operator, and supporting contractor responsibilities for developing standard payload interfaces and conducting payload safety analyses, payload integration and processing, payload operations, and safety assurance for Administration-sponsored space flight participants, among other functions required to fly Administration-sponsored payloads and space flight participants on operational commercial suborbital vehicles; identify Administration-provided hardware, software, or services that may be provided to commercial reusable suborbital space flight operators on a cost-reimbursable basis, through agreements or contracts entered into under section 20113(e) of title 51, United States Code; and describe the United States Government and space flight operator responsibilities for liability and indemnification with respect to commercial suborbital vehicle flights that involve Administration-sponsored payloads or activities, Administration-supported space flight participants, or other Administration-related contributions.
The Administrator shall assess and characterize the potential capabilities and performance of commercial reusable suborbital vehicles for addressing scientific research, including research requiring access to low-gravity and microgravity environments, for carrying out technology demonstrations related to science, exploration, or space operations requirements, and for providing opportunities for educating and training space scientists and engineers, once those vehicles become operational.
The assessment shall also characterize the risks of using potential commercial reusable suborbital flights to Administration-sponsored researchers and scientific investigations and flight hardware. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit the plan and assessment described in subsections
(b)and
(c)to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. In conjunction with the Administration’s annual budget request justification for each fiscal year, the Administrator shall transmit a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate describing progress in carrying out the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program, including the number and type of suborbital missions planned in each fiscal year. The Administrator shall not proceed with a request for proposals, award any contract, commit any United States Government funds, or enter into any other agreement for the provision of a commercial reusable suborbital vehicle launch service for an Administration-sponsored spaceflight participant until transmittal of the plan and assessment specified in subsections
(b)and (c), the liability issues associated with the use of such systems by the United States Government have been addressed, and the liability and indemnification provisions that are planned to be included in such contracts or agreements have been provided to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.