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From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: space news from Sept 3 AW&ST
Message-ID: <1990Oct26.023959.11501@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1990Oct19.031416.8237@zoo.toronto.edu> <1990Oct25.084527.8907@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 90 02:39:59 GMT

In article <1990Oct25.084527.8907@wpi.WPI.EDU> melkor@wpi.WPI.EDU (A Soldier Of God) writes:
>>Note that it is still the case that any satellite built in the US needs
>>an export license to be launched from abroad.
>
>Isn't it true that any no-government space launch needs an export license just
>to be  "exported" to orbit?

I don't think so.  This is a slightly strange situation, actually.  There
*is* historical justification for legal classification of space launches
as "export", since there have been a few instances of import duties being
refunded for items later launched (a diamond window for the Pioneer Venus
large probe being the example I remember).  But in general you do not need
an export license to launch something.

What you *do* need is a launch permit from the Office of Commercial Space
Transportation, plus FCC approval for any radio transmitters involved.
Nobody else has the authority to deny you launch permission in the US;
it was deliberately set up that way after Space Services Inc. publicized
the bureaucratic nightmare they had to wade through to get approval for
a private sounding-rocket launch.

Mind you, OCST is supposed to consider just about any conceivable issue,
including "the national interest", before giving you a permit.  And they
don't have to give a reason for refusing one.
-- 
The type syntax for C is essentially   | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
unparsable.             --Rob Pike     |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry