Advisory U.S. Department of Transportation Circular Federal Aviation Administration Subject: Ground Safety Date: 09/22/2021 AC No: 450.179-1 Initiated By: AST-1 This Advisory Circular (AC) provides guidance for an operator to meet the Ground Safety requirements defined by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) §§ 450.179,
450.181, 450.183, 450.185, 450.187, and 450.189. This includes ground safety general requirements; coordination with a site operator; explosive site planning; ground hazard analysis;
toxic hazards mitigation for ground operations; and ground safety prescribed hazard controls.
This AC presents one acceptable means of compliance with §§ 450.179, 450.181, 450.183,
450.185, 450.187, and 450.189. Launch and reentry license applicants may use this AC to guide their internal processes or format their license applications, or both.
This AC describes acceptable means, but not the only means, for demonstrating compliance with the applicable regulations. It is intended to assist prospective applicants in obtaining commercial space authorizations and operating in compliance with commercial space regulations. The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. The document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
If you have suggestions for improving this AC, you may use the Advisory Circular Feedback form at the end of this AC.
WAYNE R MONTEITH Digitally signed by WAYNE R MONTEITH Date: 2021.09.22 10:08:32 -04'00' Wayne R. Monteith Associate Administrator Commercial Space Transportation
Contents Paragraph Page
1 Purpose4
2 Applicability4
3 Applicable Regulations and Related Documents5
4 Definition of Terms6
5 Acronyms7
6 Overview8
6.1 Objective of Ground Safety8
6.2 Ground Safety Methodology8
6.3 Aspects of Ground Hazard Analysis8
6.4 Formal Traceability of Ground Safety Hazards9
6.5 Ground Safety Hazards and Software Safety9
7 General Ground Safety9
7.1 General Guidance9
7.2 Exemption Potential10
7.2.1 Memorandums of Agreement with Approved Launch and Reentry Sites10
7.3 Defining Ground Operations10
8 Site Operator Coordination11
8.1 Control of Public Access11
8.2 Site Operator Agreements11
8.3 Ground Hazard Area Designation and Coordination11
8.4 Mishap Reporting, Response, Investigation12
9 Explosives Site Plan12
10 Ground Hazard Analysis13
10.1 Identifying Hazards13
10.1.1 Identification and Decomposition of All System and Operation Failures13
10.1.2 Documenting a Ground Hazard Analysis14
10.1.3 Hazard Traceability14
10.2 Hazard A ssessment15
10.2.1 Resources for Qualitative Assessment15
10.2.2 Utilizing a Systematic Assessment Process15
10.2.3 Risk Assessment Traceability15
10.3 Risk Acceptability Criteria16
10.3.1 Developing Risk Acceptance Criteria16
10.3.2 Baseline of Risk Acceptability16
10.4 Risk M itigation16
10.4.1 Proper Risk Mitigation Process16
10.5 Considerations for Risk Mitigation Measures17
10.5.1 Risk Mitigation Traceability17
10.5.2 System Safety Design Order of Precedence17
10.6 Validation and Verification17
10.6.1 Validating Risk Mitigations17
10.6.2 Verifying Risk Mitigations17
10.6.3 Iterative Approach of Validation and Verification19
10.7 Identifying New Hazards and Updating the Ground Hazard Analysis19
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11 Toxic Hazards Mitigation For Ground Operations19
12 Ground Safety Prescribed Hazard Controls20
12.1 General20
12.2 Protection of Public on the Site20
12.2.1 Limiting Access20
12.2.2 Notification20
12.3 Countdown Abort21
12.4 Fire Suppression21
12.5 Emergency Procedures21
13 Application Requirements21
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1 PURPOSE.
This Advisory Circular (AC) provides guidance and a comprehensive method for performing a ground safety analysis in accordance with title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) §§ 450.179, 450.181, 450.183, 450.185, and 450.189. This AC does not constitute a regulation and does not contain requirements but is intended to assist prospective applicants in obtaining commercial space licenses and ensure they are operating in compliance with commercial space regulations.
1.1 Level of Imperatives.
This AC presents one, but not the only, acceptable means of compliance with the associated regulatory requirements. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will consider other means of compliance that an applicant may elect to present. Throughout this document, the word “must” characterizes statements that directly flow from regulatory text and therefore reflect regulatory mandates. The word “should” describes a requirement if electing to use this means of compliance; variation from these requirements is possible, but must be justified and approved as an alternative means of compliance. The word “may” describes variations or alternatives allowed within the accepted means of compliance set forth in this AC. In general, these alternative approaches can be used only under certain situations that do not compromise safety.
2 APPLICABILITY.
2.1 The guidance in this AC is for launch and reentry vehicle applicants and operators required to comply with 14 CFR part 450, Launch and Reentry License Requirements.
The guidance in this AC is for those seeking a launch or reentry vehicle operator license and a licensed operator seeking to renew or modify an existing vehicle operator license.
2.2 The material in this AC is advisory in nature and does not constitute a regulation. This guidance is not legally binding in its own right and will not be relied upon by the FAA as a separate basis for affirmative enforcement action or other administrative penalty.
Conformity with this guidance document (as distinct from existing statutes and regulations) is voluntary only, and nonconformity will not affect rights and obligations under existing statutes and regulations. This AC describes acceptable means, but not the only means, for demonstrating compliance with the applicable regulations.
2.3 The material in this AC does not change or create any additional regulatory requirements, nor does it authorize changes to, or deviations from, existing regulatory requirements.
3 APPLICABLE REGULATIONS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS.
3.1 Related Statute.
• 51 United States Code (U.S.C.) Subtitle V, Chapter 509.
3.2 Related Regulations.
The following regulations from titles 14 of the CFR must be accounted for when showing compliance with 14 CFR § 450.179. The full text of these regulations can be downloaded from the U.S. Government Printing Office e-CFR. A paper copy can be ordered from the Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Attn: New Orders, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA, 15250-7954.
• Section 401.7, Definitions.
• Section 420.63, Explosive siting.
• Section 420.65, Separation distance requirements for handling division 1.1 and 1.3 explosives.
• Section 420.66, Separation distance requirements for storage of hydrogen peroxide, hydrazine, and liquid hydrogen and any incompatible energetic liquids stored within an intraline distance.
• Section 420.67, Separation distance requirements for handling incompatible energetic liquids that are co-located.
• Section 420.69, Separation distance requirements for co-location of division 1.1 and
1.3 explosives with liquid propellants.
• Section 420.70, Separation distance measurement requirements.
• Section 450.35, Means of compliance.
• Section 450.103, System safety program.
• Section 450.107, Hazard control strategies.
• Section 450.139, Toxic hazards for flight.
• Section 450.141, Computing systems.
• Section 450.147, Agreements.
• Section 450.173, Mishap plan–reporting, response, and investigation requirements.
• Section 450.179, Ground safety – general.
• Section 450.181, Coordination with a site operator.
• Section 450.183, Explosive site plan.
• Section 450.185, Ground hazard analysis.
• Section 450.187, Toxic hazards mitigation for ground operations.
• Section 450.189, Ground safety prescribed hazard controls.
3.3 Related FAA Advisory Circulars.
FAA Advisory Circulars (are available through the FAA website, http://www.faa.gov.)
• AC 413.5-1, Pre-Application Consultation, when published.
• AC 450.103-1, System Safety Program, dated September 2021.
• AC 450.107-1, Hazard Control Strategies, dated July 20, 2021.
• AC 450.109-1, Flight Hazard Analysis, dated August 5, 2021.
• AC 450.139-1, Toxic Hazards for Flight, when published.
• AC 450.141-1A, Computing Systems Safety, dated August 16, 2021.
• AC 450.173-1, Mishap Reporting, Response, and Investigation, dated August 12, 2021.
Note: The industry documents referenced in this section refer to the current revisions or regulatory authorities’ accepted revisions.
3.4 Government Guidance Documents.
• MIL-STD-882E, Department of Defense Standard Practice, System Safety, dated May 11, 2012, https://quicksearch.dla.mil/qsDocDetails.aspx?ident_number=36027.
• Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration for Launch and Reentry Activity on Department of the Air Force Ranges and Installations Agreement Number FAA-DAF-SLR-2021, dated June 15, 2021, https://www.faa.gov/space/legislation_regulation_guidance/media/MOA_DAF_FAA _Launch_and_Reentry_Activity_FINAL_SIGNED_6_15_2021.pdf.
Note: The documents referenced in this section refer to the current regulatory authorities’ accepted revisions.
4 DEFINITION OF TERMS.
For this AC, the following terms and definitions apply:
4.1 Countdown Abort.
A method to abort a launch, including launch scrubs, recycle operations, hang-fires, or an instance in which the launch vehicle does not lift-off after a command to initiate flight has been sent. After a countdown abort, an operator must comply with § 450.189(c).
4.2 Explosives Site Plan (ESP).
A document that lists the attributes of each potential explosion site and the exposed sites it can potentially affect (workers, unrelated buildings, power lines, etc.) that demonstrates safe separation quantity-distances (QDs) are met or provides justification for violating QD distances.
4.3 Ground System.
The integrated set of subsystems, personnel, and processes utilized for performing pre-flight and post-flight operations at a launch or reentry site.
5 ACRONYMS.
AC – Advisory Circular ESP – Explosives Site Plan FAA – Federal Aviation Administration FMEA – Failure Modes and Effects Analysis FTA – Fault Tree Analysis GHA – Ground Hazard Analysis HEA – Human Error Analysis MOA – Memorandum of Agreement O&SHA – Operating and Support Hazard Analysis QD – Quantity-distance SSP – System Safety Program TBD – To be Determined TRHA – Toxic Release Hazard Analysis U.S.C. – United States Code V&V – Validation and Verification 7
6 OVERVIEW.
6.1 Objective of Ground Safety.
In accordance with § 450.179(a), an operator must ensure ground safety at a U.S. launch or reentry site by protecting the public and property from adverse effects of hazardous operations and systems associated with: preparing a launch or reentry vehicle for flight;
returning a launch or reentry vehicle to a safe configuration after landing or countdown abort attempt; and performing launch or reentry site operations required to return the site to a safe, known, expected configuration. Thus, the operator’s ground safety program is responsible for demonstrating regulatory compliance to §§ 450.179, 450.181, 450.183,
450.185, 450.187, and 450.189, and ensuring protection of the public (including neighboring operations personnel) and property from hazards associated with licensed ground operations and activities involving ground systems and flight systems.
6.2 Ground Safety Methodology.
Ground Safety regulations, as outlined in §§ 450.179 through 450.189, cover many aspects, including: launch and reentry site coordination, explosive site planning, documenting a ground hazard analysis (GHA), conducting a toxic release hazard analysis (TRHA), and implementing prescribed hazard controls. The documented system safety program (SSP) should define the ground safety methodology to show compliance with these regulations, per guidance of AC 450.103-1, System Safety Program.
6.3 Aspects of Ground Hazard Analysis.
A GHA is required by § 450.185 and should provide an integrated assessment of the ground system, flight system, and operational hazards to the public and property associated with licensed pre-flight and post-flight ground operations. The GHA is utilized to derive ground hazard controls for implementation in addition to prescribed hazard controls defined in § 450.189. A GHA is a qualitative system safety analysis and should be performed similarly to a flight hazard analysis outlined in AC 450.109-1, Flight Hazard Analysis. The GHA should be performed early in system development and operation conceptualization to define the ground safety risk to the public and property in order to positively influence design and operation decisions. A GHA must be performed and documented as part of an application per § 450.185(f)(3) and continue to be maintained throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system, in accordance with § 450.185. A ground hazard analysis should:
1. Identify system and operation hazards to the public and property associated with licensed pre-flight and post-flight ground operations involving the launch or reentry vehicle, ground hardware used by the launch site, and ground support equipment provided by the launch site or unique support equipment required by the system, along with associated software and firmware [§ 450.185(a)];
2. Assess the likelihood and severity of each hazard to the public [§ 450.185(b)];
3. Ensure that the ground safety risk associated with each hazard to the public and property meets defined acceptance criteria [§ 450.185(c)];
09/22/2021 A C 450.179-1
4. Identify and describe the risk elimination and mitigation measures required to satisfy the acceptance criteria [§ 450.185(d)]; and
5. Demonstrate that the risk elimination and mitigation measures achieve the acceptable levels through validation and verification [§ 450.185(e)].
Chapter 10 of this AC further details aspects of a GHA.
6.4 Formal Traceability of Ground Safety Hazards.
Formal tracking methods should be established to show direct connections between all aspects of ground safety hazards to the public and property, source, causes, mitigations, and verification evidence. Hazard tracking systems may contain all the necessary data but do not typically show these direct connections. Table A-1 of Appendix A of this AC conveys the types of information that an applicant should provide to demonstrate traceability.
6.5 Ground Safety Hazards and Software Safety.
In accordance with § 450.141(a), if the GHA identifies software or data utilized in a subsystem or the integrated system as potential hazard sources or hazard controls, then the applicant should perform a software hazard analysis to identify computing system safety items and assess their level(s) of criticality. Per the guidance of AC 450.141-1, software hazard analyses identify potential software faults and their effects on the computing system and the system as a whole, as well as mitigation measures that can be used to reduce the risk. The analytical method and level of detail in the analysis should correspond to the complexity of the software and computing system, intricacy of the operations, and scope of the program. Also, software hazard analyses should consider a range of potential error conditions.
7 GENERAL GROUND SAFETY.
7.1 General Guidance.
As part of the license application process, a licensed operator, hereafter referred to as “operator,” must document and ensure compliance to ground safety regulations in accordance with §§ 450.179, 450.181, 450.183, 450.185, 450.187, 450.189. To protect public and property at a U.S. launch or reentry site, the identification of hazardous ground operations and the risks associated with them must be documented in accordance with § 450.185. In accordance with § 450.179(a), the following operations, at a minimum, must be assessed for hazards affecting the public:
• Preparing launch vehicle for flight,
• Returning launch or reentry vehicle to safe condition after landing,
• Returning launch or reentry vehicle to safe condition after aborted launch attempt, and
• Returning launch or reentry site to safe condition.
7.2 Exemption Potential.
In accordance with § 450.179(b) and (c), operations from a federal launch range may be exempt from §§ 450.181, 450.183, 450.185, 450.187, and 450.189, if they meet the following:
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.
Note: If the site meets the conditions in § 450.179(b) and (c), the FAA will develop a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the approved site and publish the MOA on FAA's website.
7.2.1 Memorandums of Agreement with Approved Launch and Reentry Sites.
When the FAA finds that a site meets the conditions in § 450.179(b), the FAA develops an MOA with the approved site and publishes the MOA on the FAA’s website at https://www.faa.gov/space/legislation_regulation_guidance/. If these conditions are met, then the operator can seek FAA permission during pre-application consultation to comply only with the ground safety regulations imposed by the Federal site. The FAA will publish, maintain, and update the Federal launch and reentry site ground safety MOAs on its website.
7.3 Defining Ground Operations.
To properly conduct ground safety, the pre-flight and post-flight operations should be defined and documented. This list of defined pre-flight and post-flight operations should include all systems and operations involving the vehicle or any payload. Doing so facilitates a thorough identification and assessment of system and operational hazards to the public and property associated with licensed ground operations at the launch or reentry site. At minimum, the operations within the scope of a license must be defined.
Determining scope of license is discussed further in AC 413.5 Pre-Application Consultation.
8 SITE OPERATOR COORDINATION.
It is important that the launch or reentry operator define roles, responsibilities, and timelines with the site operator to ensure that timely responses to mishaps are established prior to licensed hazardous operations at the launch or reentry site. When conducting a launch or reentry from a Federal site or site licensed under Part 420, License to operate a launch site or Part 433, License to operate a reentry site, the launch or reentry operator must coordinate with the site operator to ensure public safety and comply with § 450.181(a).
8.1 Control of Public Access.
For public access control, the operator should identify the day, time, and length of controlled access required for each applicable location. Ground operations requiring fire department, medical, and other emergency or facility services should be made aware of the operations and their potential hazards and expected mitigations.
8.2 Site Operator Agreements.
In accordance with § 450.181(b), the operator must demonstrate they have coordinated with the site operator, and should demonstrate they have coordinated with other operators if applicable on their hazardous operations to establish roles and responsibilities for reporting, responding to, and investigating any mishap during ground activities at the site.
In accordance with § 450.147, vehicle operators are required to have agreements with any sites or services that are necessary to meet the safety requirements for a license. The operator should identify the site operator agreements already in place to determine the applicability and intended execution. If the current site operator agreements already in place are not sufficient for the identified hazardous operations, then the operator must acquire the necessary modified or additional agreements. These agreements should be made available to the FAA and site operator for their awareness.
8.3 Ground Hazard Area Designation and Coordination.
The site coordination activity should include the identification of the ground operation hazardous processes, their potential exposure interval, and their mitigations. The impacts to other sites should be documented and evaluated as changes are made. The ESP, as discussed in greater detail in Chapter 9 of this AC, provides clear zones necessary to provide public protection from potential hazards. If the zones extend into other sites, the operator should adequately convey this information to the site operator for their required action. The operator and the site operators should define the mechanism by which they will communicate and acknowledge requests prior to and during the hazardous operations.
8.3.1 In addition, coordination with other adjacent sites should include the examination of concurrent hazardous operations such that all mitigation procedures (from GHA, TRHA, and prescribed hazard mitigations) are evaluated for effectiveness. If the coordination efforts indicate a hazardous condition is not mitigated by the current controls, adequate mitigation(s) should be provided, or the launch or reentry event will be rescheduled.
8.3.2 Operators and site operators should ensure ground hazard areas remain controlled during a mishap according to documented emergency procedures defined in § 450.189(e).
8.4 Mishap Reporting, Response, Investigation.
The operator must assess and adhere to the site mishap reporting, response, and investigation requirements defined by § 450.173. This will ensure that prompt and effective responses to any mishaps provide adequate protection to the general public.
8.4.1 In addition to developing an adequate mishap response plan, the operator must, in accordance with § 450.181(b) coordinate with the site operator to establish roles, responsibilities, and timelines associated with:
• Reporting mishaps during ground activities at the launch or reentry site;
• Investigations of mishaps during ground activities at the launch or reentry site; and
• Responding to mishap reports for ground activities at the launch or reentry site.
8.4.2 For additional information see AC 450.173-1, Mishap Reporting, Response, and Investigation.
9 EXPLOSIVES SITE PLAN (ESP).
Per § 450.183, an ESP for exclusive use sites must be documented and followed throughout the lifecycle of a licensed operation employing explosives and energetic liquids in accordance with §§ 420.63, 420.65, 420.66, 420.67, 420.69, and 420.70.
Part 420 Appendix E contains tables that can be utilized to document the ESP.
Note: In accordance with § 420.63(b), an applicant operating at a launch site located on a federal launch range does not have to comply with these requirements if the applicant is in compliance with the federal launch range's explosive safety requirements.
Note: Licensed site operators, rather than licensed launch or reentry operators operating at an FAA-licensed site, are required to comply with the explosive siting requirements in Part 420.