Regulations¶

Are we allowed to do all this? The answer is yes, as long as you follow the necessary laws and regulations.

Rocketry is mainly regulated in the United States by two independent organization being Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). The rules they create are based on safety standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Approval from the FAA is also required before each launch date.

You really don't need to worry about most of this stuff as long as you follow the TRA and NAR safety codes and only launch at official launch sites.

TRA and NAR¶

Organizations that not associated with the government that enforce safety of rocketry. Most launch sites are run by one or both of these organizations. Leaders of NAR and TRA help to write the NFPA regulations. You are required to be a member and be certified by NAR or TRA in order to fly high power rockets. See the certs page to learn more about earning HPR certifications. Being a member of NAR or TRA grants you liability insure for any property damage that could be caused during a launch.

FAA¶

The FAA issues Flight Waivers to grant launch sites approval for the airspace. This is mainly what dictates the flight ceiling for launches. This is typically handled by the launch site so a normal hobbiest does not need to apply for FAA approval as long they fly at an official TRA/NAR launch.

If you are a nerd and are curious, flight waivers are applied for using FAA Form 7711-02.

NFPA¶

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) writes safety regulations on operations related to high power rocketry. NFPA 1127 is the important one which regulates the safe construction and flight of high power rockets as well as use of high power rocket motors. NFPA 1127 and the Tripoli Unified Safety Code kinda circularly reference each other and basically say the same thing. What you need to know is NFPA 1127 is the actual law but the Tripoli Safety Code is the one you should read (it is way shorter).

ITAR¶

The International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) regulates development and publication of weapons. Luckily ITAR doesn't care about high power rocket unless you are getting into active guidance and control. Technically if your rocket has any sort of active control (pitch/yaw control, TVC) it needs to be registered on the USML and you technically need to register as a manufacturer with the DDTC (don't do this). You also are not allowed to publish these restricted designs, including making them open source, or let non-US citizens view/access them.

ITAR resticts metal being used in rocket construction, which is also covered in NFPA 1127. Tripoli interprets this as being made of a "minimum amount of metallic parts" in whatsoever percentages "necessary for airframe integrity dependent upon the installed total impulse, and whose primary use is for purposes of education, recreation, and sporting activities." All of that to say don't use it for airframes, and try to cut down on the use throught the rest of the rocket. Also, if you are using metals, you can only use aluminum or copper. If we are being extermely technical, rockets are only allowed to be made of "paper, wood, fiberglass, or plastic" meaning carbon fiber rockets technically violate ITAR, however this has never been enforced and people use carbon fiber all the time.

Semi-realted to ITAR is COCOM which limits the export/trade of devices that could be used in advanced weapons (technically also regulated by NATO). This only impacts us when it comes to GPS/GNSS. GPS units have software blocks in them called COCOM Limits which restrict them from operating at altitudes above 59,000 ft and speeds above 1000 knots (515 m/s or Mach 1.5). This limit is in place to prevent production of ICBMs. There are devices you can buy which do not have COCOM Limits which can be used for high altitude projects and space shots (Mulitronix)

ITAR will tell you to stop before taking actual legal action if you are in violation, as long as you are not knowingly doing so. If you are ever unsure if something you are doing is a violation of ITAR you can always check here.

List of Regulations¶

List of the regulations that govern rockety in the United States (you do NOT need to read all these bro)

• Tripol Unified Safety Code
• NAR Safety Code
• NFPA
  • NFPA 1122: Code for Model Rocketry
  • NFPA 1125: Code for Manufacturing of Rocket Motors
  • NFPA 1127: Code for High Power Rocketry
  • NFPA 495: Explosive Materials Code
• FAA
  • 14 CFR Part 91: General Operating and Flight Rules
  • 14 CFR Part 101.21-29: Amateur Rockets
  • 14 CFR Part 105: Parachute Operations
• ATF
  • 27 CFR 555: Explosives
• ITAR
  • 22 CFR 120-130: International Traffic in Arms Regulations
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • 16 CFR 1500.83: Allows rocket motors to be shipped if a hazmat fee is paid
  • 16 CFR 1500.85: Prevents minors from buying rocket motors larger than F impulse
• Department of Transportation
  • 49 CFR 172.504(b): If transporting 1001 lbs of rocket motors or more in a vehicle, it needs to be offcially marked as "EXPLOSIVE 1.3"

TL;DR¶

If you didn't wanna read all that, just know look through the Tripoli Safety Code and only launch at official launches.

Created by Aidan M. Last Edited by Aidan M. on 05/01/26