what kind of permit would i have to have to shoot a rocket into space? in the U.S.A.?

Question

i want to build a rocket to shoot up personal sattilite for a project in school. all luanches would be from a large orange grove a friend owns. thank

P.S. please pardon the spelling. thanks

Answer 1

Don't worry about permits until you've overcome the financial and technological hurdles. You'll have to start small. There are rocket kits for sale in most hobby shops. Go buy one, build it and fly it - from private property, you won't need a permit - just make sure there's no chance it'll land on someone else's property or you could be charged with felony reckless endangerment.

Answer 2

Don't bother with the permits. Feel free to just blow yourself up. Seriously, assuming that you're under 18, you probably couldn't even get the permits you'd need for the rocket fuel, and even a company that might support your effort would have a great deal of difficulty doing so. As for launching from a "big orange grove", any rocket powerful enough to get into orbit would be too large for an orange grove. And unless you're VERY rich, too expensive for a high school project.

Perhaps you could go to college then go to work for NASA or a private space company. Until then, consider smaller rockets with a camera on it. Less paperwork, more likely to succeed, less likely to blow up yourself and your neighborhood and the orange grove.

Answer 3

You would need permission from both the FAA and probably the Vice President (the head of NASA), as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 [Section VI] says:The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty.'

Other than that, you would need to secure permits from the ATF for the propellant and probably have to undergo strict supervision by some agency or other to make sure that what you are doing is safe for yourself and others.

I used to build rockets that used solid fuel engines. Estes used to make a Patriot Missle rocket that required four 'E' class engines. It attained a final altitude high enough and the rocket was large enough that I was required to seek FAA approval for each launch. I've seen commercially produced engines as big as "I" class, but you need special permits to buy them and were outrageously expensive - and this was all before 9/11 caused them to clamp down hard on stuff like this.

The prospect of attaining sub-orbital or orbital altitudes by an amateur are slim to none, given the expense and red tape involved. Sorry if this bursts your bubble, but given the current political climate, you'd probably be arrested and detained before you even purchased all the material necessary for the attempt.

For more info, hook up with my fellow nerds at the National Association of Rocketry:
http://nar.org/

Answer 4

As far as I know there are NO rules at this time

The CHANCES you would hit a commercial airplane are small.

Technically you would have to collaborate with NASA

But as far as I know there are NO rules

You can fly a prop airplane without a flight plan

You just must observe FLIGHT rules

A rocket is not covered

There is no FAA ordinance I am aware of governing rocket launches

Answer 5

can you even afford it it takes a lot of energy to send a rocket in to space. Not to mention building it and were is the satellite going to go? whats it for. What school to you go to are you in high school? I don't think you can get a permit. You can't even explain what you want do. How are going to send a rocked in to space.

Answer 6

Bah! Back in my day, we didn't need permits to shoot rockets into space! We had guns and cannons and we shot them as much as we wanted! Today you can't fart without having a permit.

Take my advice; if you want to shoot a rocket in space, do it from your neighbor's yard and run!

Answer 7

You need a launch permit from the AST office in the FAA.

Answer 8

You need no permit to launch a private satellite.
You will need permits to purchase the fuel, and to transport it to the launch site.

Answer 9

Contact the FAA

Answer 10

Probably no permit because its a freakin' satellite! I don't know much about the topic but ah, pretty sure its illegal.