Sec. 580. Spaceports

988 words·~4 min read·/bill/115/hr/302/eah/section-580

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It is the Sense of Congress that— State and local government-owned or -operated spaceports have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements to the national space launch infrastructure, providing the United States Government and commercial customers with world-class space launch and processing infrastructure that is necessary to support continued American leadership in space; State and local government-owned or –operated spaceports play a critical role in providing resiliency and redundancy in the national launch infrastructure to support national security and civil government capabilities, and should be recognized as a critical infrastructure in Federal strategy and planning; continued State and local government investments at launch and reentry facilities should be encouraged and to the maximum extent practicable supported in Federal policies, planning and infrastructure investment considerations, including through Federal, State, and local partnerships;

Federal investments in space infrastructure should enable partnerships between Federal agencies and state and local spaceports to modernize and enable expanded 21st century space transportation infrastructure, especially multi-modal networks needed for robust space transportation that support national security, civil, and commercial launch customers; and States and local governments that have made investments to build, maintain, operate, and improve capabilities for national security, civil, and commercial customers should be commended for their infrastructure contributions to launch and reentry sites, and encouraged through a variety of programs and policies to continue these investments in the national interest.

Title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end of subtitle V the following: Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall identify, within the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, a centralized policy office to be known as the Office of Spaceports. The Office of Spaceports shall— support licensing activities for operation of launch and reentry sites; develop policies that promote infrastructure improvements at spaceports; provide technical assistance and guidance to spaceports; promote United States spaceports within the Department; and strengthen the Nation’s competitiveness in commercial space transportation infrastructure and increase resilience for the Federal Government and commercial customers.

In carrying out the functions assigned in subsection (b), the Secretary shall recognize the unique needs and distinctions of spaceports that host— launches to or reentries from orbit; and are involved in suborbital launch activities. The head of the Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation shall designate a Director of the Office of Spaceports. In this section the term spaceport means a launch or reentry site that is operated by an entity licensed by the Secretary of Transportation. .

The table of chapters of title 51, United State Code, is amended by adding at the end of subtitle V the following: 515. Office of Spaceports 51501 . It is the sense of Congress that— A robust network of space transportation infrastructure, including spaceports, is vital to the growth of the domestic space industry and America’s competitiveness and access to space. Non-Federal spaceports have significantly increased the space transportation infrastructure of the United States through significant investments by State and local governments, which have encouraged greater private investment.

These spaceports have led to the development of a growing number of orbital and suborbital launch and reentry sites that are available to the national security, civil, and commercial space customers at minimal cost to the Federal Government. The Federal Government, led by the Secretary of Transportation, should seek to promote the growth, resilience, and capabilities of this space transportation infrastructure through policies and through partnerships with State and local governments.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to Congress a report that— evaluates the Federal Government’s national security and civil space transportation demands and the needs of the United States and international commercial markets; proposes policies and programs designed to ensure a robust and resilient orbital and suborbital spaceport infrastructure to serve and capitalize on these space transportation opportunities; reviews the development and investments made by international competitors in foreign spaceports, to the extent practicable; makes recommendations on how the Federal Government can support, encourage, promote, and facilitate greater investments in infrastructure at spaceports; and considers and makes recommendations about how spaceports can fully support and enable the national space policy.

Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act and every 2 years until December 2024, the Secretary shall— update the previous report prepared under this subsection; and submit the updated report to Congress. In preparing the reports required by this subsection, the Secretary shall consult with individuals including— the Secretary of Defense; the Secretary of Commerce; the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and interested persons at spaceports, State and local governments, and industry.

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study regarding spaceport activities carried out pursuant to chapters 509 and 511 of title 51, United States Code, including— an assessment of potential mechanisms to provide Federal support to spaceports, including the airport improvement program established under subchapter I of chapter 471 of title 49, United States Code, and the program established under chapter 511 of title 51, United States Code; recommendations for potential funding options; and any necessary changes to improve the spaceport application review process.

In carrying out the study described in paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall consult with sources from each component of the commercial space transportation sector, including interested persons in industry and government officials at the Federal, State, and local levels. In reviewing funding options, the Comptroller General shall distinguish between spaceports that are funded by users and those that are not. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report containing results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).

In this section, the term spaceport means a launch or reentry site that is operated by an entity licensed by the Secretary of Transportation.