PHMSA APRM

The Future is Now!

For those of us who grew up watching Star Trek and its many different variants, space truly seemed like the “Final Frontier.” As technology has advanced, so has the need for updating Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). For better or worse, technology appears to truly be moving at the speed of light and out pacing our ability to regulate it.  That is why the Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is proposing its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to “solicit feedback on streamlining and modernizing the Agency’s regulations as they relate to the transportation of hazardous materials integral to spacecraft payloads or components.”

On January 29, 2026, PHMSA published this ANPRM in the federal register starting the 90 day comment window. All comments must be received by April 29, 2026. PHMSA welcomes all comments and suggestion but also provided 11 specific questions it would like answers/comments to. Below you can see the 11 comments:

1. What specific regulatory challenges do you encounter during the terrestrial transportation of hazardous materials in support of space operations?
2. As noted above in Section III, certain types of alternative compliance are frequently granted through special permits. What existing standards (in addition to HMR-required standards) do you use currently in the design and manufacturing of devices and articles containing hazardous materials shipped for space operations? Could these standards be considered for incorporation into the HMR?
3. What packagings or articles used to transport hazardous materials in support of space operations are not designed or tested to an existing consensus industry standard? Are there currently any industry-led initiatives to develop new standards for the transportation and packaging of these products?
4. PHMSA is interested in understanding the existing requirements of other Federal agencies ( e.g., NASA, DOW) to determine which requirements in the HMR may be redundant. From the industry stakeholder perspective, are there requirements in the HMR that are redundant with the regulatory requirements of other Federal agencies?
5. In what ways are the training requirements of hazardous materials employees working in the space industry different from those of the hazardous materials industry as a whole?
6. Are there hazard communication requirements that you believe are unnecessary for the transport of hazardous materials to support space operations? What operational controls are used during the transportation of hazardous materials for space operations that could eliminate the need for certain hazard communication? Similarly, what potential challenges could be faced by emergency first responders if hazard communication is reduced? Potential examples include the use of closed roads or transport of hazmat with a security escort.
7. An article or device containing several different hazardous materials may be difficult to classify accurately, particularly if a Class 1 explosive material is a component ( e.g., an explosive squib). What specific definitions or provisions for common types of articles or devices that integrate multiple hazardous materials, such as satellites or capsules, would provide more clarity for classification of the associated hazards?
8. What specific operational controls or other similar containment methods should be considered for assembled spacecraft being transported in commerce for space operations? What operational controls are used during the transportation of hazardous materials for space operations that could ensure an equivalent level of safety to performance-oriented packaging requirements?
9. How are batteries integrated into components of spacecraft or payloads? What battery chemistries are being used? How are those batteries transported during the integration process and spacecraft recovery process?
10. How frequently do you transport multiple hazardous materials together in support of space operations and what operational controls are used? How frequently do you move only an individual hazardous material or article in support of space operations?
11. What modes of transportation ( e.g., highway, rail, vessel, air) do you use to transport hazardous materials in support of space operations? Should any potential HMR provisions be limited to a specific-transport mode?

For a complete look at PHMSA’s ANPRM you can click HERE NOW!

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