§ 450.109 Flight hazard analysis.

(a) Applicability. This section applies to the use of a flight hazard analysis as a hazard control strategy to derive hazard controls for the flight, or phase of flight, of a launch or reentry vehicle. Hazards associated with computing systems and software are further addressed in § 450.141. (b) Analysis. A flight hazard analysis must identify, describe, and analyze all reasonably foreseeable hazards to public safety resulting from the flight of a launch or reentry vehicle. Each flight hazard analysis must— (1) Identify all reasonably foreseeable hazards, and the corresponding failure mode for each hazard, associated with the launch or reentry system relevant to public safety, including those resulting from: (i) Vehicle operation, including staging and release; (ii) System, subsystem, and component failures or faults; (iii) Software operations; (iv) Environmental conditions; (v) Human factors; (vi) Design inadequacies; (vii) Procedure deficiencies; (viii) Functional and physical interfaces between subsystems, including any vehicle payload; (ix) Reuse of components or systems; and (x) Interactions of any of the above. (2) Assess each hazard's likelihood and severity. (3) Ensure that the likelihood of any hazardous condition that may cause death or serious injury to the public is extremely remote. (4) Identify and describe the risk elimination and mitigation measures required to satisfy paragraph (b)(3) of this section. (5) Document that the risk elimination and mitigation measures achieve the risk level of paragraph (b)(3) of this section through validation and verification. Verification includes: (i) Analysis; (ii) Test; (iii) Demonstration; or (iv) Inspection. (c) New Hazards. An operator must establish and document the criteria and techniques for identifying new hazards throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system. (d) Completeness Prior to Flight. For every launch or reentry, the flight hazard analysis must be complete and all hazards must be mitigated to an acceptable level in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of this section. (e) Updates. An operator must continually update the flight hazard analysis throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system. (f) Application requirements. An applicant must submit in its application the following: (1) Flight hazard analysis products of paragraphs (b)(1) through (5) of this section, including data that verifies the risk elimination and mitigation measures resulting from the applicant's flight hazard analyses required by paragraph (b)(5) of this section; and (2) The criteria and techniques for identifying new hazards throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system as required by paragraph (c) of this section.