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Florida Governor Signs Spaceflight Entity Liability Bill into Law
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Spaceflight Entity Liability bill into law on Thursday, essentially providing legal protection to private space companies in the event of injury or fatality to a crew member during their flights.
Background
The state of Florida hosts several launch pads used for commercial rocket launches and is home to prominent spaceflight companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. With the space industry evolving rapidly and opening up Earth’s orbit to wealthy civilians, the possibility of bodily damage has increased, leading to concerns that passengers might sue companies. This concern has led Florida to enact the Spaceflight Entity Liability bill, which offers protection to space companies.
What Does the Law Do?
The law exempts spaceflight companies from liability for injury or death resulting from spaceflight activities under certain circumstances. Spaceflight companies are required to have the crew sign a specified warning statement warning them of the inherent risks of spaceflight activities. The law is intended to protect companies from civil lawsuits concerning the crew members’ wellbeing. However, the law does not protect companies that engage in gross negligence, knew of dangerous conditions beforehand, or intentionally tried to harm crew members.
What Does the Waiver Say?
Before engaging in spaceflight activities, crew members will have to sign a waiver that reads: “WARNING: Under Florida law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant or crew in a spaceflight activity provided by a spaceflight entity if such injury or death results from the spaceflight activity.”
Concerns
The explicit warning assumes that regular citizens are already aware of the risks associated with spaceflight, which may not always be the case. Private crews undergo some form of training before embarking on a rocket trip, but in many cases, it is not enough to equip the space casuals with proper tools. Pinning the responsibility of crew members’ safety on them does not seem fair.
Conclusion
The Spaceflight Entity Liability bill signed into law in Florida provides legal protection to private space companies. While the law aims to safeguard spaceflight companies against civil lawsuits, it also stipulates conditions under which companies will lose their protection. It is essential to protect the safety of crew members while promoting the development of the space industry.
FAQs
What is the Spaceflight Entity Liability bill?
The Spaceflight Entity Liability bill is a law in Florida that provides legal protection to private space companies in the event of injury or fatality to a crew member during their flights.
What does the law do?
The law exempts spaceflight companies from liability for injury or death resulting from spaceflight activities under certain circumstances. Spaceflight companies are required to have the crew sign a specified warning statement warning them of the inherent risks of spaceflight activities.
Who does the law protect?
The law aims to protect companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin against civil lawsuits concerning the wellbeing of their crew members.
What are the conditions for losing protection?
The law does not protect companies that engage in gross negligence, knew of dangerous conditions beforehand, or intentionally tried to harm crew members.
What is the waiver that crew members have to sign?
Before engaging in spaceflight activities, crew members will have to sign a waiver that reads: “WARNING: Under Florida law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant or crew in a spaceflight activity provided by a spaceflight entity if such injury or death results from the spaceflight activity.”
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