Aerospace Regulatory Compliance

OrbitExSpace Inc. ("OrbitExSpace", "we", "us") is developing autonomous robotic systems and habitat infrastructure intended, in the longer term, for the Moon and Mars. At the date of this statement, our work is at the terrestrial development stage, and we have not conducted any spaceflight activity. This page sets out the regulatory framework that will apply to our future space operations and the principles we have adopted in anticipation of that work.

We describe these commitments in good faith. They are forward-looking and are not representations that any particular regulatory regime currently applies to our terrestrial development activities, nor that any future operation is approved, licensed, or imminent, except where expressly stated.

We acknowledge that activities in outer space are governed by international law, including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the Liability Convention of 1972, the Registration Convention of 1976, and the Rescue Agreement of 1968. We intend to conduct any future space operations in conformity with these instruments, and we recognize that the United States, as the launching state, bears international responsibility and liability for our national space activities.

We will not place nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies, and we will carry out future space activities for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, in accordance with Article I of the Outer Space Treaty.

Future launch, reentry, and on-orbit operations conducted from the United States will be subject to regulation by the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") Office of Commercial Space Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA"), and, where applicable, other agencies. We will obtain the required licenses, permits, and authorizations before conducting any such activity, and we will comply with all conditions imposed.

We will not conduct any launch, reentry, or on-orbit operation without the required regulatory authorizations. Until such authorizations are obtained, our work remains ground-based research and development.

Any future launch or reentry activity will be conducted under an FAA launch or reentry license or equivalent authorization, including compliance with public-safety, national-security, and foreign-policy requirements. We will maintain the financial responsibility required by 14 CFR Parts 440 and 450 and applicable law, and we will conduct flight safety analyses consistent with regulatory requirements.

We are not currently a launch operator and have no pending license application. This section describes the framework we will apply when and if we become one.

We recognize the importance of planetary protection — preventing forward contamination of celestial bodies by terrestrial organisms and backward contamination of Earth by extraterrestrial material. For any future mission that may encounter or return material from another body, we will follow applicable planetary-protection guidelines, including those articulated by the Committee on Space Research ("COSPAR") and any requirements imposed by U.S. authorities. Our current terrestrial testing is not subject to planetary-protection requirements; we apply standard contamination control appropriate to hardware development.

We are committed to the long-term sustainability of the space environment. Any future spacecraft we develop will be designed for end-of-life disposal in accordance with applicable guidelines, including FAA debris-mitigation requirements, NASA debris-mitigation practices, and relevant provisions of 14 CFR Part 450. We will minimize the generation of orbital debris and design our systems to limit the risk of collision and break-up.

For any future on-orbit operations, we will share trajectory and conjunction information with relevant operators and authorities, participate in space-traffic coordination as required, and follow applicable guidelines for on-orbit collision avoidance.

Any future use of radio frequencies for communications, telemetry, or remote sensing will be authorized by the FCC or the relevant national authority before use and will comply with applicable international spectrum allocations coordinated through the International Telecommunication Union ("ITU"). We will not transmit without the required licenses and will coordinate to avoid harmful interference.

Any ground station we operate will be sited, licensed, and operated in accordance with applicable national and local requirements, including radio-frequency licensing, land-use approval, and safety considerations. We will coordinate with neighboring operators and authorities to minimize impact.

We will maintain the financial responsibility and insurance required by U.S. law for any future launch or reentry activity, including third-party liability coverage consistent with 14 CFR Part 440. We recognize the liability regime of the Liability Convention and will honor our obligations under it as a national actor.

The commitments on this page are forward-looking. They describe the framework we will apply when our work reaches a stage at which they become applicable. They are not representations that any current activity is regulated under these regimes, nor that any future operation is approved, licensed, or imminent. We will update this page as our programs progress and as regulatory authorizations are sought or obtained.

For aerospace regulatory inquiries, contact:

OrbitExSpace Inc.
Legal & Compliance
legal@orbitexspace.com