Cannot ship outside rocket to U.S.A due to Homeland Security

ARCA Space cannot be ship into United States of America because technology restriction boarder and shipping regulations. Any cargo ship will detect radioactive, rocket technology, nuclear missile, anti-aircraft missile, and illegal weapon. It is unknown government will destory rocketship technology entering to America. They will seize the property. Lot of Civil Penalties and Criminal Penalties from CSPC, BATF, DOT, homeland security policy.

If Diamandis try to help fight back. It won't work and talking to U.S Embassy won't do any good. Very difficult to ship rocket to Mexico "X-Cup game".


I guess Diamandis will travel Romania. Tough job!


I found this actual Homeland Security Act.

Homeland Security Act Creates Shipping Crisis for Hobby Rocketry Feb. 2003
Fallout from the recently enacted "Homeland Security Act" (HSA) has brought much of the shipping of hobby rocket motor products to a grinding halt.

New, burdensome requirements for businesses transporting certain articles that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) deems to be "explosives" have caused some companies, including UPS, to discontinue shipping most hobby rocket motor products.

AeroTech is monitoring the situation closely and will post updated information here as soon as it becomes available. It appears that UPS is continuing to accept division 4.1 flammable solid shipments under DOT exemption DOT-E 7887 (up to 62.5 grams per motor or propellant grain), FedEx is still shipping division 1.4 "explosives" (the DOT classification of all AeroTech motors and reloads, including "Restricted Access" products when shipped under DOT exemption DOT-E 10996), and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is accepting AeroTech's motor products containing up to 30 grams per motor or propellant grain for Parcel Post shipment as "Toy Propellant Devices". Unfortunately, these methods of shipment are also at risk of termination at any time, depending on the specific interpretation of the new ATFE regulations by the shipping companies and the USPS.

Warning: when compete X-Prize, launch your own risk.

We are soo lucky to have internet search engine. You have to read U.S government guidelines carefully. Otherwise, founders and rocket builders will get arrested and thrown in jail.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/ ... 3123.shtml

It's always been illegal to ship a rocket to the US without the proper permit. If they need to send it here all they need to do is file the proper paperwork.

Everyone might be free to ship the rocket only but to buy the propellant in the US - at the spaceport perhaps. Or the team might be free to ship the rocket divided in its components instead of shipping the rocket as a whole.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

In June 15th, 2005. how do they ship to America?

I can't find on Xprize application proof picture. Walking to U.S Embassy office, showing your passport, and talking to board directors. They don't have an permit application shipment for rocket. Doing all the talkings and showing X-Prize document proof to Embassy board directors will waste their time. There is no way they can ship rocket to America. Again, Security employees will destory it without even looking proper paper permit. Real proper paper won't work. Security will think it's counterfeit paper. Homeland security teams will think X-Prize rocket comes from "Axis of Evil" manufacture, they will destory it. They are not stupid either.

The only way to ship the rocket is use U.S.S submarine or U.S.S warship as storage. You gonna pay U.S government about $1.3 billion and plus 2.3 cents per gallons of fuel. No way! It is best for Diamandis to travel Romania, Russian, Israel, and England.

I suppose where do you get proper paper permit?

It's possible that there will be new national agreements and treaties on these things in the future - we are talking on a new industry, a new branch being in its infancy and going to grow. At least one britsh enterprise is involved - so the UK may be interested in such agreements in the future. The british government will be interested in the success of that enterprise - to get taxes from that firm...

That is valid too in the case of Romania and Israel. Only Russia might be not interested.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Great! Very few Contenders will arrive X-Cup game. it's just sad and lack of entertainment.

Any new X-Prize Contender sign up yet?

So here is a possible solution to the problem wherein "International X-prize Cup competitors are unable to bring hardware to the US" ... (this assumes that the solutions put forward by Cadet and Ekkehard turn out to be unrealistic) ...

Send a handful of officials to the various sites around the world where they may preside over the launches, take the required measurements (e.g. with their little gold box) and make a decision about the Cup winner after all launches have been attempted/achieved over a "window" period of 1 month. Kind of like the Guinness book of records folks.

With an added bonus that if you spread it out (over a month, but not much longer than that) you get a longer PR window as the newsfeeds pick up the story with each launch and the story growing (rather than shrinking) over time. You also make it a truly fair international competition as each competitor need only deal with their own country's regulatory system.

In any case requiring that competitors come to New Mexico never really considered an international component, IMO.

DKH

What way does Starchaser Industries handle the situation? They are a non-US team, they have installed launch equipment at the New Mexico spaceport to compete for the XPRIZE CUP - so they will carry their vehicle there. Do they bring it from the UK or do they produce it in the US? ...



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

"This will be an annual event unlike any other!"- Xcup. Yeah right!!!


X PRIZE CUP should not launch as real life rocket game. They should make like trade show. It's better. X-Prize aren't paying for rocket insurance to contenders. In fact, Rocket insurance cost more than X-Prize's money. Other contenders can't ship real engine to U.S. They have to leave empty.

Ekkehard wrote:

I believe the intention is that rocket production (motors, airframe e.t.c.) will be carried out in a facility in NM. The capsule and avionics e.t.c. will be produced in the current factory near Manchester. Not that it would be a problem anyway, the UK has a far more preferential trading/importing/exporting relationship with the Americans than Europe has.

Hello, luke.r,

could other teams - ARCA for example - use the british relationships some way?



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

If they plan to use United States Manufacture, NM. Beware reverse engineer & patent break in. This happens million times. They should avoid the dangers of rocket misguided wires, malfunction manufacture's problems, and frustion sell off secerts. Don't sell of Rutan's protection and give rights to Rutan manufacture's documentation. Someday, they will design better aircraft the use of your technology. Take my advice, DON'T TRUST THEM!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_rocket_explosion

Sometimes there's organize crime own manufacture... Most of them want to steal rocket "Alloy" and technology. These are facts.


They need to find honesty manufacture who willing do it for you. Maybe, Armadillo Aerospace. Shhhhh... Don't go Rutan death's gate.

Live long John Denver

we got our rocket from Canada without much hassle. of course, it is pretty small, about the size of a sidewinder :):):):

Hi Ekkehard.
I don't know what legal problems there might be but the UK is an ally of Rumania and pushing their case for EU membership pretty hard. I am sure that if help was requested, it would be given to its fullest extent possible, as with any of our other freinds in Europe.
I am not sure what Splinter is driving at on the other hand. Starchaser will not be contracting a US firm to carry out production of components, it will be doing it itself with Anglo-American employees. As to the trust issue, why the hell would we NOT trust the US? The Americans are far more at threat of technology transfers than any other country but also has extremely liberal trading practices. If you like conspiracy, criticize the Echelon programme that Britain & America use to defeat commercial bids by foreign companies. If you don't trust the US, I suggest you don't trust Britain either.