When Rockets Fall Apart, FAA Wants to Call It Safer
Published Date: 11/9/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FAA is proposing a new rule to make it easier for commercial space companies to get launch and reentry licenses. They want to allow operators to prove their vehicles will break up safely during an uncontrolled fall from the sky, reducing the chance of multiple injuries. This change aims to speed up approvals and lower costs, with public comments open until December 9, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Per-application time and cost savings
FAA estimates an applicant would avoid about 60 hours of aerospace-engineer labor by forgoing the CEC demonstration for a UAR, saving $5,777 per application in private-industry compensation. FAA estimates it would save about $3,897 in review costs per application, for a combined $9,674 total savings per application. FAA expects about 40 new applications over the next 5 years, though fewer than 40 would involve UARs.
New breakup option for random reentries
The FAA would let commercial launch or reentry operators meet the high-consequence protection rule for an uncontrolled atmospheric return (UAR) by showing the UAR would cause sufficient breakup of the vehicle (including components and undeployed payloads) to prevent a single event expected to produce multiple casualties. This adds a new option at Sec. 450.101(c)(2)(ii) as an alternative to the existing conditional expected casualties (CEC) demonstration (currently often using a 1 x 10^-3 CEC threshold).
Official definition of 'Uncontrolled atmospheric return'
The rule would add a definition for 'uncontrolled atmospheric return' in Sec. 401.7 as the passive descent of a vehicle from orbit caused by natural orbital decay where there is no ability to control the trajectory. The preamble clarifies a perigee of 70 nautical miles or greater is the threshold for being in orbit and that active propulsion that reduces perigee below 70 nm is not a UAR.
No extra analysis or paperwork required
FAA says the breakup demonstration would use information already required by existing debris analysis (Sec. 450.121) and consequence analysis (Sec. 450.135(b)), so no additional analysis or new information collection is required under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
FAA finds no significant small-entity impact
Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, FAA certifies the proposed rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, so FAA did not prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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