[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 14, Volume 5]

[Revised as of January 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 14CFR1266.102]



[Page 412-413]

 

                     TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE

 

                          SPACE ADMINISTRATION

 

PART 1266_CROSS-WAIVER OF LIABILITY--Table of Contents

 

Sec. 1266.102  Cross-waiver of liability for Space Station Freedom 

activities.



    (a) The objective of this section is to establish a cross-waiver of 

liability (``cross-waiver'') by the Partner States and related entities 

in the interest of encouraging participation in exploration, 

exploitation, and use of outer space through the Space Station. This 

cross-waiver of liability shall be broadly construed to achieve this 

objective.

    (b) For the purposes of this section:

    (1)(i) A Partner State is each contracting Party for which the 

``Agreement among the Government of the United States of America, 

Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the 

Government of Japan, and the Government of Canada on Cooperation in the 

Detailed Design, Development, Operation, and Utilization of the 

Permanently Manned Civil Space Station'' (the ``Intergovernmental 

Agreement'') has entered into force, in accordance with Article 25 of 

the Intergovernmental Agreement.

    (ii) A Partner State includes its Cooperating Agency. The National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the United States, the 

European Space Agency (ESA) for the European Governments, the Canadian 

Space Agency (CSA) for the Government of Canada, and the Science and 

Technology Agency of Japan (STA) are the Cooperating Agencies 

responsible for implementing Space Station cooperation. A Partner State 

also includes any entity specified in the Memorandum of Understanding 

(MOU) between NASA and the Government of Japan to assist the Government 

of Japan's Cooperating Agency in the implementation of that MOU.

    (2) The term related entity means:

    (i) A contractor or subcontractor of a Partner State at any tier;

    (ii) A user or customer of a Partner State at any tier; or

    (iii) A contractor or subcontractor of a user or customer of a 

Partner State at any tier. ``Contractors'' and ``subcontractors'' 

include suppliers of any kind.

    (3) The term damage means:

    (i) Bodily injury to, or other impairment of health of, or death of, 

any person;

    (ii) Damage to, loss of, or loss of use of any property;

    (iii) Loss of revenue or profits; or

    (iv) Other direct, indirect, or consequential damage.

    (4) The term launch vehicle means an object (or any part thereof) 

intended for launch, launched from Earth, or returning to Earth which 

carries payloads or persons, or both.

    (5) The term payload means all property to be flown or used on or in 

a launch vehicle or the Space Station.

    (6) The term Protected Space Operations means all launch vehicle 

activities, Space Station Freedom activities, and payload activities on 

Earth, in outer space, or in transit between Earth and outer space done 

in implementation of this Agreement, the MOU's, and implementing 

arrangements. It includes, but is not limited to:

    (i) Research, design, development, test, manufacture, assembly, 

integration, operation, or use of launch or



[[Page 413]]



transfer vehicles (for example, the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle), the 

Space Station, or a payload, as well as related support equipment and 

facilities and services;

    (ii) All activities related to ground support, test, training, 

simulation, or guidance and control equipment, and related facilities or 

services. Protected Space Operations also includes all activities 

related to evolution of the Space Station, as provided for in Article 14 

of the Intergovernmental Agreement. Protected Space Operations excludes 

activities on Earth which are conducted on return from the Space Station 

to develop further a payload's product or process for use other than for 

Space Station-related activities in implementation of this Agreement.

    (c)(1) Each Partner State agrees to a cross-waiver of liability 

pursuant to which each Partner State waives all claims against any of 

the entities or persons listed in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through 

(c)(1)(iii) of this section based on damage arising out of Protected 

Space Operations. This cross-waiver shall apply only if the person, 

entity, or property causing the damage is involved in Protected Space 

Operations and the person, entity, or property is damaged by virtue of 

its involvement in Protected Space Operations. The cross-waiver shall 

apply to any claims for damage, whatever the legal basis for such 

claims, including but not limited to delict and tort (including 

negligence of every degree and kind) and contract, against:

    (i) Another Partner State;

    (ii) A related entity of another Partner State;

    (iii) The employees of any of the entities identified in paragraphs 

(c)(1)(i) and (c)(1)(ii) of this section.

    (2) In addition, each Partner State shall extend the cross-waiver of 

liability as set forth in paragraph (c)(1) of this section to its own 

related entities by requiring them, by contract or otherwise, to agree 

to waive all claims against the entities or persons identified in 

paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (c)(1)(iii) of this section.

    (3) For avoidance of doubt, this cross-waiver of liability includes 

a cross-waiver of liability arising from the Liability Convention where 

the person, entity, or property causing the damage is involved in 

Protected Space Operations, and the person, entity, or property damaged 

is damaged by virtue of its involvement in Protected Space Operations.

    (4) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, this 

cross-waiver of liability shall not be applicable to:

    (i) Claims between a Partner State and its own related entity or 

between its own related entities;

    (ii) Claims made by a natural person, his/her estate, survivors, or 

subrogees for injury or death of such natural person;

    (iii) Claims for damage caused by willful misconduct;

    (iv) Intellectual property claims.

    (5) Nothing in this section shall be construed to create the basis 

for a claim or suit where none would otherwise exist.