(a) General Requirements.—A licensee under this chapter must allow the Secretary of Transportation to place an officer or employee of the United States Government or another individual as an observer at a launch site or reentry site the licensee uses, at a production facility or assembly site a contractor of the licensee uses to produce or assemble a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle, at a site not owned or operated by the Federal Government or a foreign government used for crew, government astronaut, or space flight participant training, or at a site at which a payload is integrated with a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle. The observer will monitor the activity of the licensee or contractor at the time and to the extent the Secretary considers reasonable to ensure compliance with the license or to carry out the duties of the Secretary under sections 50904(c), 50905, and 50906 of this title. A licensee must cooperate with an observer carrying out this subsection.
(b) Contracts.—To the extent provided in advance in an appropriation law, the Secretary may make a contract with a person to carry out subsection (a) of this section.
(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1334, § 70106 of title 49; Pub. L. 105–303, title I, § 102(a)(7), Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2848; Pub. L. 108–492, § 2(c)(17), Dec. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 3980; renumbered § 70106 then § 50907 of title 51 and amended Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(G), (5)(I), Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3440–3442; Pub. L. 114–90, title I, § 112(m), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 713.)
Historical and Revision Notes
RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large)
70106(a)49 App.:2613(a).Oct. 30, 1984, Pub. L. 98–575, § 14, 98 Stat. 3060.
70106(b)49 App.:2613(b).
In subsection (a), the word “duties” is substituted for “responsibilities” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code.
Editorial Notes
Amendments2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–90 substituted “at a site not owned or operated by the Federal Government or a foreign government used for crew, government astronaut, or space flight participant training” for “at a site used for crew or space flight participant training”.
2010—Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(G), successively renumbered section 70106 of title 49 and section 70106 of this title as this section.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(I), substituted “sections 50904(c), 50905, and 50906” for “sections 70104(c), 70105, and 70105a”.
2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–492 inserted “at a site used for crew or space flight participant training,” after “assemble a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle,” and substituted “sections 70104(c), 70105, and 70105a” for “section 70104(c)”.
1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–303, in first sentence, inserted “or reentry site” after “observer at a launch site” and “or reentry vehicle” after “assemble a launch vehicle” and after “with a launch vehicle”.