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Title 51 — National and Commercial Space Programs

Chapter 509 — Commercial Space Launch Activities

§ 50909. Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries

Statutory text

(a)

General Authority.—

The Secretary of Transportation may prohibit, suspend, or end immediately the launch of a launch vehicle or the operation of a launch site or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle, licensed under this chapter if the Secretary decides the launch or operation or reentry is detrimental to the public health and safety, the safety of property, or a national security or foreign policy interest of the United States.

(b)

Effective Periods of Orders.—

An order under this section takes effect immediately and remains in effect during a review under section 50912 of this title.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 103–272 § 1(e) · 108 Stat. 745

    Enacted · 51 U.S.C. § 50909

    Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1334, § 70108 of title 49

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1334, § 70108 of title 49

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    Section 1. subtitles ii, ii, and v-x of title 49, united states code (a) Certain general and permanent laws of the 49 USC prec. 101 note. United States, related to transportation, are revised, codified, and enacted by subsections (c)–(e) of this section without substantive change as subtitles II, III, and V–X of title 49, United States Code, “Transportation”. Those laws may be cited as “49 U.S.C. ________”. (b) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking the table of subtitles at the beginning of the title and substituting the following new table of subtitles: “Subtitle “I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION “II. OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES “III. GENERAL AND INTERMODAL PROGRAMS “IV. INTERSTATE COMMERCE “V. RAIL PROGRAMS “VI. MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS “VII. AVIATION PROGRAMS “VIII. PIPELINES “IX. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION “X. MISCELLANEOUS (c) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking subtitle II, except that chapter 31 (comprising sections 3101–3104) of subtitle II is redesignated and restated as chapter 315 (comprising sections 31501–31504) of subtitle VI of title 49, as enacted by subsection (e) of this section. (d) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding the following immediately after subtitle I:

  2. Pub. L. 105–303 § 102(a)(8)(A) · 112 Stat. 2843

    Substituted · 51 U.S.C. § 50909

    Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(A), substituted “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries” for “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches and operation of launch sites” in section catchline

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(A), substituted “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries” for “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches and operation of launch sites” in section catchline.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (A) by amending the section designation and heading to read as follows: “§70108. Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries“; and

  3. Pub. L. 105–303 § 102(a)(8)(B) · 112 Stat. 2843

    Inserted · 51 U.S.C. § 50909(a)

    Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(B), inserted “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site” and “or reentry” after “launch or operation”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(B), inserted “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site” and “or reentry” after “launch or operation”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (B) in subsection (a)— (i) by inserting “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site”; and (ii) by inserting “or reentry” after “launch or operation”;

  4. Pub. L. 111–314 § 4(d)(2) · 124 Stat. 3328

    Changed · 51 U.S.C. § 50909

    Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(I), successively renumbered section 70108 of title 49 and section 70108 of this title as this section

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(I), successively renumbered section 70108 of title 49 and section 70108 of this title as this section.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (2) Renumbering and transfer of chapters.— Chapters 701 and 703 of title 49, United States Code, are renumbered as chapters 509 and 511, respectively, of title 51, United States Code, and 51 USC 70101–70121, 70301–70305. transferred so as to appear after chapter 507 of title 51, United States Code, as enacted by section 3 of this Act.

  5. Pub. L. 111–314 § 4(d)(5)(L) · 124 Stat. 3328

    Substituted · 51 U.S.C. § 50909(b)

    Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(L), substituted “section 50912” for “section 70110”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(L), substituted “section 50912” for “section 70110”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (L) Section 50909(b) of title 51, United States Code, as renumbered by paragraph (3), is amended by striking “section 70110” and substituting “section 50912”.

5 of 5 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Notes

historicalAndRevision
Historical and Revision Notes
RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large)
70108(a)49 App.:2610(a).Oct. 30, 1984, Pub. L. 98–575, § 11, 98 Stat. 3059.
70108(b)49 App.:2610(b).

Editorial Notes

Amendments1998–2010 · 2 rounds

2010

Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(I), successively renumbered section 70108 of title 49 and section 70108 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(L), substituted “section 50912” for “section 70110”.

1998

Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(A), substituted “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries” for “Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches and operation of launch sites” in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(8)(B), inserted “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site” and “or reentry” after “launch or operation”.

Credits

1994–2010 · 3 acts
  1. 1994Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), , 108 Stat. 1334, § 70108 of title 49
  2. 1998Pub. L. 105–303, title I, § 102(a)(8), , 112 Stat. 2848
  3. 2010renumbered § 70108 then § 50909 of title 51 and amended Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(I), (5)(L), , 124 Stat. 3440–3442.
Show as published

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), , 108 Stat. 1334, § 70108 of title 49; Pub. L. 105–303, title I, § 102(a)(8), , 112 Stat. 2848; renumbered § 70108 then § 50909 of title 51 and amended Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(I), (5)(L), , 124 Stat. 3440–3442.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc51.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-04-17

USLM identifier /us/usc/t51/s50909