[Federal Register: November 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 215)]
[Notices]
[Page 62865-62866]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06no03-111]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation;
Notice of Availability and Request for Comment on a Draft Environmental
Assessment (EA)/Initial Study for the East Kern Airport District (EKAD)
Launch Site Operator License for the Mojave Airport, CA
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Associate Administrator
for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) is the lead Federal agency
for NEPA. The U.S. Air Force is a cooperating agency for NEPA. The EKAD
is the lead agency for CEQA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with NEPA regulations, the FAA is initiating a
public review and comment period for a Draft EA/Initial Study. Under
the proposed action, the FAA would issue a launch site operator license
for the EKAD to operate a launch facility at the Mojave Airport. The
FAA may also use the analysis from this EA to issue a launch license to
individual operators for launches from the Mojave Airport. If issued,
the launch site operator license would authorize the EKAD to operate a
launch facility at the Mojave Airport. This launch site operator
license would be for the purpose of operating a facility to launch
horizontally launched, suborbital rockets.\1\ In addition, the EKAD may
offer other services for commercial launch companies at the Mojave
Airport including static engine firings, launch vehicle manufacturing,
and other testing and manufacturing activities. The function of the
launch facility would be to provide a location to launch manned
suborbital rockets and other payloads \2\ into suborbital trajectories.
The issuance of a launch site operator license to EKAD does not permit
EKAD to conduct launches, only to offer the facility and infrastructure
to launch operators. A launch site operator license remains in effect
for five years from the date of issuance unless surrendered, suspended,
or revoked before the expiration of the term and is renewable upon
application by the licensee (14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
420.43). A license to operate a launch site authorizes a licensee to
offer its launch site to a launch operator for each launch point for
the type and weight class of launch vehicle identified in the license
application and upon which the licensing determination is based.
Issuance of a license to operate a launch site does not relieve a
licensee of its obligation to comply with any other laws or
regulations, nor does it confer any proprietary, property, or exclusive
right in the use of airspace or outer space (14 CFR 420.41). The FAA
may use the analysis in this document as the basis for an environmental
determination of the impacts of these launches to support licensing
decisions for the launch of specific launch vehicles from the Mojave
Airport.
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\1\ The FAA has proposed the following definition for suborbital
rocket which is being considered for adoption but has not yet been
approved: ``a rocket propelled vehicle intended for flight on a
suborbital trajectory whose thrust is greater than its lift for the
majority of the powered portion of its flight.'' The following
definition has been proposed but not approved for suborbital
trajectory: ``the intentional flight path of a launch vehicle,
reentry vehicle, or any portion thereof whose vacuum instantaneous
impact point does not leave the surface of the earth.''
\2\ For purposes of this document, the payload is the item that
an aircraft or rocket carries over and above what is necessary for
the operation of the vehicle in flight.
DATES: The public comment period for the NEPA process begins with the
publication of this notice and request for comment in the Federal
Register. To ensure that all comments can be addressed in the Final EA,
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comments must be received by the FAA no later than December 12, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written and oral comments regarding
the Draft EA/Initial Study should be submitted to Ms. Michon
Washington, FAA Environmental Specialist, Mojave Airport EA, c/o ICF
Consulting, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031; e-mail mojave.ea@icfconsulting.com; toll-free phone (800) 767-9956; toll-free
fax (800) 380-1009; or through an online comment form available at
http://ast.faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action is for the FAA to issue
a launch site operator license to the EKAD for the Mojave Airport. 14
CFR Chapter III, part 420 contains the requirements for obtaining and
possessing a license to operate a launch site. Under the regulations,
an applicant is required to provide the FAA with information sufficient
to conduct environmental and policy reviews and determinations. The
EKAD intends to operate a launch site at the Mojave Airport for
commercial use by providing customers a site from which to launch
suborbital missions using horizontally launched vehicles, and therefore
must obtain a launch site operator license from the FAA.
The successful completion of the environmental review process does
not guarantee that the FAA would issue a launch site operator license
to the EKAD for the Mojave Airport or a launch license to an individual
launch operator. The project must also meet all FAA safety, risk, and
indemnification requirements. A license to operate a launch site does
not guarantee that a launch license would be granted for any particular
launch proposed for the site. All individual launch license applicants
would be subject to separate FAA licensing.
The EKAD has identified two types of launch vehicles, identified in
this analysis as Concept A and Concept B, which would be typical of the
vehicles that would operate from the Mojave Airport. The proposed
action/preferred alternative would include launches of both Concept A
and Concept B launch vehicles. The potential users of the launch site
would be responsible for obtaining any necessary permits or approvals
including a launch license for specific missions from the FAA. This
document may be used as the basis for the FAA to make a determination
about licensing the launches of some types of launch vehicles from the
Mojave Airport. The FAA may also use this document as the basis for an
environmental finding that would serve as part of the requirements of
the FAA launch licensing process for proposed launch operators at the
Mojave Airport. Additional environmental analysis would need to be
conducted for any activity that is not addressed in this Draft EA/
Initial Study or in previous environmental analyses.
Launch vehicles included in Concept A consist of two components
both of which would be piloted, a carrier aircraft and a mated
suborbital launch vehicle. The carrier aircraft would carry the launch
vehicle to the designated launch release altitude. The launch vehicle
would use only suborbital trajectories and, therefore, would not reach
Earth orbit. Concept A launch vehicles would launch and land
horizontally at the Mojave Airport. They would not require runway
lengths in excess of existing infrastructure at the Mojave Airport.
Launch vehicles included in Concept B would be a single piloted
component. The rocket motors would be ignited while the launch vehicle
is on the
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runway at the Mojave Airport. Concept B launch vehicles would use
suborbital trajectories and, therefore, would not reach Earth orbit.
Concept B launch vehicles would launch and land horizontally at the
Mojave Airport. They would not require runway lengths in excess of
existing infrastructure at the Mojave Airport.
Two alternatives to the proposed action were considered in the
Draft EA/Initial Study. The first alternative would be to issue a
launch site operator license to the EKAD for the Mojave Airport for
inclusion of launch vehicles specifically fitting the description of
Concept A. The second alternative would be to issue a launch site
operator license to the EKAD for the Mojave Airport for inclusion of
launch vehicles specifically fitting the description of Concept B.
Potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives were
analyzed in the Draft EA/Initial Study. Potential environmental impacts
of successful launches include impacts to air quality, airspace,
biological resources, cultural resources, health and safety, hazardous
materials and hazardous waste, geology and soils, land use, noise,
socioeconomics and environmental justice, transportation, visual and
aesthetic resources, and water resources. The impacts of the No Action
Alternative would be the same as those described for the affected
environment in the Draft EA/Initial Study.
Potential cumulative impacts of the operation of the proposed
launch site are also addressed in the Draft EA/Initial Study.
Date Issued: October 30, 2003.
Herbert Bachner,
Manager, Space Systems Development Division.
[FR Doc. 03-27894 Filed 11-5-03; 8:45 am]
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