scope:

Purpose

This NPR documents the NASA roles, responsibilities and procedural requirements related to range flight safety. This NPR provides for implementation of NPD 8700.1 regarding the protection of the public, NASA workforce, and property during range operations associated with flight.

Applicability

P.2.1 This directive is applicable to:

a. NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers. This directive applies to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (a Federally-Funded Research and Development Center), other contractors, recipients of grants, cooperative agreements, or other agreements only to the extent specified or referenced in the applicable contracts, grants, or agreements.

b. Range Flight Operations using:

(1) Aircraft engaged in test and evaluation operations when those operations require the use of restricted airspace and/or involve activities such as missile firings, drop tests, water ingestion tests, laser operations, or other hazardous instruments or payloads and could pose a risk to the public, NASA workforce, or property

(2) Other vehicles - e.g., space launch vehicles, entry vehicles (including sample return capsules), Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs), fly-back boosters, Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs), high-altitude balloons, high-power amateur rockets, sounding rockets, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

(a) Operated or controlled by NASA, or

(b) Carrying a NASA payload or crew and the operation is not licensed or regulated by the FAA or conducted by a foreign government entity.

(3) Permanent and temporary ranges, launch sites, or landing sites operated or controlled by NASA.

P.2.2 This NPR provides procedural range safety requirements for flight, which represent only a portion of the requirements applicable to NASA Projects involved in range operations. NASA range flight operations subject to this NPR and the technical requirements contained in NASA-STD-8719.25 may also be subject to local range requirements (e.g., Air Force Space Command Manual (AFSPCMAN) 91-710).

P.2.3 In this document, the term NASA Program Manager refers to program and project managers who have programmatic responsibility for flight activities using vehicles specified in the Applicability section of this NPR. This includes NASA Program/Project Managers developing launch systems, NASA Program/Project Managers who procure or sponsor launch systems (including the NASA Launch Services Program), and any NASA project personnel who manage small flight projects such as small UASs or high-power amateur rockets.

P.2.4 In this directive, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the term "shall." The terms: "may" or "can" denote discretionary privilege or permission, "should" denotes a good practice and is recommended, but not required, "will" denotes expected outcome, and "are/is" denotes descriptive material.

P.2.5 In this directive, document citations are assumed to be the latest version, unless otherwise noted.

P.2.6 This directive is not applicable to:

a. Ground safety requirements and the processing of a vehicle or payload at a range, launch site, or landing site. NASA vehicles and payloads are subject to the local ground safety requirements and other specific Agency and Project requirements.

b. On-orbit operations that take place after orbital insertion and before initiation of reentry operations.

c. Safety concerns associated with orbital debris. d. The safety of crew on board a vehicle during flight.

e. Transportation or shipping of a vehicle or payload to or from a range, launch site, or landing site when this activity is not part of a range flight operation. Federal, State, and local regulations apply.

f. Takeoff, landing, or in-flight operations of conventional piloted aircraft unless a specific aspect of an aircraft operation requires range flight safety involvement to protect the public, NASA workforce, and property.