12/18/2023 AC 413.13-1 Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe damage covered by this section, including damage to ground support equipment, ground support systems, and flight hardware, as test-induced damage and not a mishap, so long as the failure falls within the precoordinated scope and FAA-approved testing profile. Any mishap resulting in a serious injury or fatality, damage to property not associated with the licensed activity, or hazardous debris leaving the pre-defined hazard area, will be treated as a mishap and not test-induced damage, and will be subject to the reporting, response, and investigation requirements of 14 CFR § 450.173.
A license applicant or operator must coordinate potential test-induced damage exception with the FAA before the planned activity, and with sufficient time for the FAA to evaluate the operator's proposal during the application process or as a license modification.
o Applicable procedures?
o Expected time and duration of the test?
13.13 § 450.177 Unique safety policies, requirements, and practices.
The FAA expects that advances in technology and implementation of innovations by launch and reentry operators will likely introduce new and unforeseen public safety considerations.
In this case, the FAA must work with operators on a case-by-case basis to identify and mitigate any unique hazards posed to
• Are unique hazards identified, or specified as none?
• If unique hazards are identified:
o Have safety policy, requirements, or practices been included in the application?
o Is there documentation of demonstration that public health and safety is protected with respect to each hazard?
Phase 1 61
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe public health and safety, which are not addressed by part 450.
The FAA expects the need for the use of this provision to be rare due to the comprehensiveness and performance-based nature of part 450.
However, during pre-application consultation the FAA will inquire and afford the applicant the opportunity to discuss and identify any unique safety policies, requirements, and practices pertaining to its operations.
o Is there documentation of demonstration of compliance with each policy, requirement, or practice developed in response to this hazard?
14 GROUND SAFETY
14.1.1 Ground Safety consists of sections §§ 450.179 through 450.189. Section 450.179 provides general requirements for demonstrating compliance to ground safety requirements discussed in §§ 450.181 through 450.189. Section 450.179(a) requires an operator at a U.S. launch or reentry site to protect the public and property from adverse effects of hazardous operations and systems during licensed ground activities.
Section 450.179(b) does not require an operator to comply with ground safety requirements discussed in §§ 450.181 through 450.189 if:
1. The launch or reentry is being conducted from a Federal launch or reentry site;
2. The operator has a written agreement with the Federal launch or reentry site for the provision of ground safety services and oversight; and
3. The Administrator has determined that the Federal launch or reentry site’s ground safety processes, requirements, and oversight are not inconsistent with the Secretary’s statutory authority over commercial space activities.
14.1.2 In the case of § 450.179(b)(3), the FAA has published: (1) the “Ground Safety Policy, dated 3 Nov 2020”, which discusses FAA rationale for acceptance of ground safety processes, requirements, and oversight at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Wallops Flight Facility, and Kennedy Space Center, and
(2) FAA-DAF-SLR-2021.01, which documents a Memorandum of Agreement for launch and reentry activity at Department of the Air Force Ranges and Installations.
14.1.3 If required by § 450.179(a), an operator will need to document and demonstrate compliance with §§ 450.181 through 450.189 by coordination with a site operator
(450.181), an explosive site plan (450.183), ground hazard analysis (450.185), toxic hazard mitigations for ground operations (450.187), and ground safety prescribed hazard controls (450.189).
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe
14.2 § 450.179 Ground safety – general.
At a U.S. launch or reentry site, the public and property must be protected from adverse effects of licensed ground operations via either: (1) demonstrated compliance to the requirements of §§ 450.181 through 450.189, or (2) § 450.179(b) exception.
• If an applicant proposes to use § 450.179(b) exception, the FAA requests a copy of the written agreement in accordance with § 450.147(d)(2).
• Is there a description and copy of the written agreement with the Federal launch or reentry site for the provision of ground safety services and oversight in section § 450.147?
Phase 1
14.3 § 450.181 Coordination with a site operator.
Site coordination requirements for a launch or reentry conducted from or to a Federal launch or reentry site or a site licensed under part 420 or 433 of this chapter.
This section applies when the launch or reentry operator is NOT the site operator. It is possible that multiple sites could be involved, such as a launch from one site and landing at another.
• Is there a description of coordination with each site?
• Does the description include the following topics:
o Control of public access?
o Coordination with other site users?
o Designation of ground hazard areas?
o Mishap response affecting the public?
• For non-Federal sites, is there a description of ground mishap response coordination?
• Does the description include roles and responsibilities?
Phase 1
14.4 § 450.183 Explosive site plan.
Explosive siting requirements for a launch or reentry conducted from or to a site exclusive to its own use.
• Is there an explosive site plan and supporting data, addressing:
o Separation distance requirements for handling division 1.1 and 1.3 explosives.
o Separation distance requirements for storage of hydrogen peroxide, hydrazine, and liquid hydrogen and any incompatible energetic liquids stored within an intraline distance.
Phase 1 64
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe o Separation distance requirements for handling incompatible energetic liquids that are co-located.
o Separation distance requirements for co-location of division 1.1 and 1.3 explosives with liquid propellants?
o Separation distance measurement requirements?
14.5 § 450.185 A ground hazard analysis identifies • Is there a description of the ground hazard Phase 1;
Ground hazard key integrated system design and analysis methodology for the lifecycle? Phase 2-3 analysis operation data, documents the • Does the ground hazard analysis identify for overall ground safety risk to the hazards, including system and operation completion public, and determines the necessary hazards? of hazard controls (mitigations) to • For each hazard, is there identification of: § 450.185(e) ensure the residual risk meets o Likelihood? validation acceptable criteria. o Severity? effort o Is there definition of what constitutes The ground hazard analysis should “extremely remote” and “remote” be performed early in system likelihood?
development and operation • For every hazard with a severity of “death or conceptualization to define the serious injury”, is the mitigated likelihood ground safety risk to the public in “extremely remote”?
order to positively influence design • For every hazard with a severity of “majorand operation decisions. damage to property not associated with the launch or reentry”, is the mitigated likelihoodAC 450.103-1, System Safety “remote”?Program, provides guidance on severity categories and likelihood levels in Table 3 and Table 4 of Appendix A, including acceptable
• Are risk elimination and mitigation measures identified and described?
• Are verification methods for risk elimination and mitigation measures identified and described?
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe criteria for “remote,” and “extremely remote.”
• Is there documentation of verification and validation achieving the risk level above?
• Is traceability demonstrated in the ground hazard analysis data:
o For each hazard is there at least one failure?
o For each hazard, is there as least one mitigation?
o For each failure, is there at least one cause?
o For each cause, is there at least one mitigation?
o For each mitigation, is there at least one verification?
• For each mitigation, is there a risk assessment?
14.6 § 450.187 Toxic hazards mitigation for ground operations.
Prior to application acceptance, a means of compliance for § 450.187 must be accepted.
Hazards associated with toxics utilized during licensed ground operations must be properly managed and compliance demonstrated with criteria in § 450.185(c).
§ 450.187(e)(1)
• Does the methodology reference an accepted means of compliance for toxic risk analysis?
§ 450.187(f)(1)
• Is a reference list of toxic substances identified?
• Are possible toxic release sources identified from:
o Propellants?
o Chemicals?
o Combustion products?
o Derivatives?
Phase 1 66
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe § 450.187(f)(2)
• I s there a list of toxic concentration and duration thresholds?
§ 450.187(f)(3)
• Are meteorological conditions provided?
§ 450.187(f)(4)
• Is a characterization of terrain provided?
§ 450.187(f)(5)
• Is the toxic dispersion modeled identified?
• Is other input data to the toxic model provided?
§ 450.187(f)(6)
• Are representative results of the toxic analysis provided?
• Do the results include toxic concentrations and durations?
§ 450.187(f)(7)
• Are failure modes and probabilities of toxic scenarios provided?
• Are representative results of a worst-case toxic release provided?
§ 450.187(f)(8)
• Is the use of a containment or risk assessment approach specified?
• If a containment approach is used:
Section Narrative Objective Criteria to Determine if the Application is Complete Timeframe o Is there a description of evacuation plans?
o Is there a description of meteorological constraints and associated ground hazard controls?
• If a risk assessment approach is used:
o Is there a demonstration of compliance with safety criteria?
o Is population data provided?
o Is there a description of risk mitigations?
14.7 § 450.189 Ground safety prescribed hazard controls.
Prescribed hazard controls ensure adequate mitigation for unique ground safety items associated with protecting public and property.
• Are processes and methods documented for protecting members of the public who enter any area under the control of a launch or reentry operator?
• Are there procedures for identifying and tracking the public while on the site?
• Are mitigations implemented identified by the ground hazard analysis and toxic hazard analysis?
Phase 1 68
OMB Control Number: 2120-0746 Expiration Date: 11/30/2024 Advisory Circular Feedback Form Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2120-0746. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary per FAA Order 1320.46D Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, 800 Independence Ave, Washington, D.C. 20590.
If you find an error in this AC, have recommendations for improving it, or have suggestions for new items/subjects to be added, you may let us know by (1) emailing this form to 9-AST- ASZ210-Directives@faa.gov, or (2) faxing it to (202) 267-5450.
Subject: (insert AC title/number here) Date: Click here to enter text.
Please check all appropriate line items:
☐ An error (procedural or typographical) has been noted in paragraph Click here to enter text.
on page Click here to enter text..
☐ Recommend paragraph Click here to enter text. on page Click here to enter text. be changed as follows:
Click here to enter text.
☐ In a future change to this AC, please cover the following subject:
(Briefly describe what you want added.)
Click here to enter text.
☐ Other comments:
Click here to enter text.
☐ I would like to discuss the above. Please contact me.
Submitted by: Date:
FAA Form 1320-73 (09/22) SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS EDITIONS