Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Thursday that will protect companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin if passengers or crewmembers are injured during missions.
The Spaceflight Entity Liability Bill, or CS/SB1318 was one of 27 laws he signed a week after launching campaign to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 during a Twitter event with Elon Musk.
The new law protects SpaceX, and other commercial space companies, from being sued if anyone aboard their rockets or capsules is seriously injured or killed.
The bill requires that passengers and crew acknowledge the risks associated with spaceflight. They must sign a waiver stating: “WARNING. Under Florida law there is no liability if an injury or death occurs to a participant in a spaceflight provided by a spaceflight organization if the injury or death resulted from the spaceflight.”
According to the bill, injuries can include damage to people, land, equipment, and animals. They may also be caused by “a potential negligent act that could lead to injury or death.”
The Florida Senate conducted an study of the bill and found that “it has the potential to reduce the costs of litigation for businesses engaged in spaceflight activity.”
Florida’s Space Coast, or the area surrounding NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has seen a flurry of commercial space activity as companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin seek to expand their launch services, both for the government and private sector.
According to Space Florida, an agency of the government that promotes aerospace economic development in Florida, aeronautical activities generate about $17.7 Billion in revenue.
The Spaceflight Entity Liability Bill was sponsored by Republican Senator Tom Wright and passed unanimously through the Florida Senate, with very little debate.
