§50924 Space Launch and Reentry Licensing and Permitting User Fees

Summary

The Secretary of Transportation must charge a fee for every licensed or permitted launch or reentry starting in 2026. The fee is the smaller of two amounts: a per-pound charge or a flat charge for that year. The 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 yearly percentage change in the U.S. city-average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (all items). The flat yearly caps 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 each prior year’s cap increased by the same CPI percentage. All fees must go into a special Treasury account called the “Office of Commercial Space Transportation Launch and Reentry Licensing and Permitting Fund.” Seventy percent of the money in that fund is available to pay for the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation and to carry out section 630(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. That 70% is available without extra approval from Congress and is not limited by fiscal year.