§50924 Space Launch and Reentry Licensing and Permitting User Fees

Summary

The Secretary of Transportation must charge a fee for every launch or reentry under a license or permit starting in 2026. The fee is the smaller of two amounts: a per-pound charge times the payload weight or a flat fee for that year. Per-pound rates are: 2026 $0.25, 2027 $0.35, 2028 $0.50, 2029 $0.60, 2030 $0.75, 2031 $1.00, 2032 $1.25, 2033 $1.50, and for 2034 and later the prior year’s rate increased by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (All Items; United States city average). Flat annual fees are: 2026 $30,000, 2027 $40,000, 2028 $50,000, 2029 $75,000, 2030 $100,000, 2031 $125,000, 2032 $170,000, 2033 $200,000, and for 2034 and later the prior year’s amount increased by that same CPI percentage. A special Treasury account called the Office of Commercial Space Transportation Launch and Reentry Licensing and Permitting Fund is created to hold these fees. The fund pays for the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation and to carry out section 630(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Seventy percent of deposits are available for those purposes without more congressional approval and with no fiscal year limit.