---
type: "LegalText"
title: "51 U.S.C. § 50912"
description: "Administrative hearings and judicial review"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 51
title_name: "NATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAMS"
chapter_number: "509"
chapter_name: "COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH ACTIVITIES"
section: "50912"
citation: "51 U.S.C. § 50912"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc51@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t51/s50912"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-51/usc51.xml"
source_hash: "3984b0db482e679a68066aa459b3bcc9058e0566e90a01f8b90af31f39b20a6b"
raw_snapshot_hash: "247760e048bc0c854023cd923eddd6011c857ad6958b62a813e0392121390bd5"
text_hash: "d48d25332f86e148529fcb5c7b723b605beb177a1dfc221cf607c1d76fb5f4de"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 51 U.S.C. § 50912 - Administrative hearings and judicial review

## Text

(a) Administrative Hearings.— The Secretary of Transportation shall provide an opportunity for a hearing on the record to—

(1) an applicant under this chapter, for a decision of the Secretary under section 50905(a) or 50906 of this title to issue or transfer a license with terms or deny the issuance or transfer of a license;

(2) an owner or operator of a payload under this chapter, for a decision of the Secretary under section 50904(c) of this title to prevent the launch or reentry of the payload; and

(3) a licensee under this chapter, for a decision of the Secretary under—

(A) section 50908(b) or (c) of this title to modify, suspend, or revoke a license; or

(B) section 50909(a) of this title to prohibit, suspend, or end a launch or operation of a launch site or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle, licensed by the Secretary.

(b) Judicial Review.— A final action of the Secretary under this chapter is subject to judicial review as provided in chapter 7 of title 5.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1335, § 70110 of title 49; Pub. L. 105–303, title I, § 102(a)(10), Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2849; Pub. L. 108–492, § 2(c)(20), Dec. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 3981; renumbered § 70110 then § 50912 of title 51 and amended Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(L), (5)(M)–(P), Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3440–3442.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 70110(a)(1)49 App.:2611(a)(1) (1st sentence).Oct. 30, 1984, Pub. L. 98–575, § 12, 98 Stat. 3060. 70110(a)(2)49 App.:2611(a)(1) (last sentence). 70110(a)(3)49 App.:2611(a)(2). 70110(b)49 App.:2611(b). In subsection (a), before clause (1), the words “The Secretary of Transportation shall provide an opportunity for a hearing on the record to” are substituted for “shall be entitled to a determination on the record after an opportunity for a hearing” for consistency in the revised title. The words “in accordance with section 554 of title 5” are omitted for consistency and because 5:554 applies to a hearing on the record unless otherwise stated. In clause (1), the words “and a proposed transferee of a license” are omitted as being included in “applicant”. In subsection (b), the words “to issue, transfer, deny the issuance or transfer of, suspend, revoke, or modify a license or to terminate, prohibit, or suspend any launch or operation of a launch site licensed by the Secretary or to prevent the launch of a payload” are omitted as surplus.

Editorial Notes

Amendments2010—Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(2), (3)(L), successively renumbered section 70110 of title 49 and section 70110 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(M), substituted “section 50905(a) or 50906” for “section 70105(a) or 70105a”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(N), substituted “section 50904(c)” for “section 70104(c)”. Subsec. (a)(3)(A). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(O), substituted “section 50908(b) or (c)” for “section 70107(b) or (c)”. Subsec. (a)(3)(B). Pub. L. 111–314, § 4(d)(5)(P), substituted “section 50909(a)” for “section 70108(a)”. 2004—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 108–492 inserted “or 70105a” after “70105(a)”. 1998—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(10)(A), inserted “or reentry” after “prevent the launch”. Subsec. (a)(3)(B). Pub. L. 105–303, § 102(a)(10)(B), inserted “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site”