(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.
Structure US Code
Title 51— NATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAMS
Subtitle V— Programs Targeting Commercial Opportunities
CHAPTER 509— COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH ACTIVITIES
§ 50901. Findings and purposes
§ 50904. Restrictions on launches, operations, and reentries
§ 50905. License applications and requirements
§ 50907. Monitoring activities
§ 50908. Effective periods, and modifications, suspensions, and revocations, of licenses
§ 50910. Preemption of scheduled launches or reentries
§ 50912. Administrative hearings and judicial review
§ 50913. Acquiring United States Government property and services
§ 50914. Liability insurance and financial responsibility requirements
§ 50915. Paying claims exceeding liability insurance and financial responsibility requirements
§ 50916. Disclosing information
§ 50917. Enforcement and penalty
§ 50919. Relationship to other executive agencies, laws, and international obligations