An operator must implement and document a system safety program throughout the lifecycle of a launch or reentry system that includes the following:

(a) Safety organization. An operator must maintain a safety organization that has clearly defined lines of communication and approval authority for all public safety decisions. At a minimum, the safety organization must have the following positions:

(1) Mission director. For each launch or reentry, an operator must designate a position responsible for the safe conduct of all licensed activities and authorized to provide final approval to proceed with licensed activities. This position is referred to as the mission director in this part.

(2) Safety official. For each launch or reentry, an operator must designate a position with direct access to the mission director who is—

(i) Responsible for communicating potential safety and noncompliance issues to the mission director; and

(ii) Authorized to examine all aspects of the operator's ground and flight safety operations, and to independently monitor compliance with the operator's safety policies, safety procedures, and licensing requirements.

(3) Addressing safety official concerns. The mission director must ensure that all of the safety official's concerns are addressed.

(b) Hazard management. For hazard management:

(1) An operator must implement methods to assess the system to ensure the validity of the hazard control strategy determination and any flight hazard or flight safety analysis throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system;

(2) An operator must implement methods for communicating and implementing any updates throughout the organization; and

(3) Additionally, an operator required to conduct a flight hazard analysis must implement a process for tracking hazards, risks, mitigation measures, and verification activities.

(c) Configuration management and control. An operator must—

(1) Employ a process that tracks configurations of all safety-critical systems and documentation related to the operation;

(2) Ensure the use of correct and appropriate versions of systems and documentation tracked in paragraph (c)(1) of this section; and

(3) Document the configurations and versions identified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section for each licensed activity.

(d) Post-flight data review. An operator must employ a process for evaluating post-flight data to—

(1) Ensure consistency between the assumptions used for the hazard control strategy determination, any flight hazard or flight safety analyses, and associated mitigation and hazard control measures;

(2) Resolve any inconsistencies identified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section prior to the next flight of the vehicle;

(3) Identify any anomaly that may impact any flight hazard analysis, flight safety analysis, or safety-critical system, or is otherwise material to public safety; and

(4) Address any anomaly identified in paragraph (d)(3) of this section prior to the next flight as necessary to ensure public safety, including updates to any flight hazard analysis, flight safety analysis, or safety-critical system.

(e) Application requirements. An applicant must submit in its application the following:

(1) A description of the applicant's safety organization as required by paragraph (a) of this section, identifying the applicant's lines of communication and approval authority, both internally and externally, for all public safety decisions and the provision of public safety services; and

(2) A summary of the processes and products identified in the system safety program requirements in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section.

Hazard Control Strategies