Safety Zones; Pensacola, Panama City, and Tallahassee, Florida

Résumé

This temporary final rule would implement a special activities provision of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The Coast Guard is establishing three temporary safety zones for the safe splashdown and recovery of reentry vehicles launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from October 12, 2022 until November 10, 2022. These three temporary safety zones are located within the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile area of responsibility offshore of Pensacola, Panama City, and Tallahassee, Florida. This rule would prohibit U.S. flagged vessels from entering any of the temporary safety zones unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile or a designated representative. Foreign-flagged vessels would be encouraged to remain outside the safety zones. This action is necessary to protect vessels and waterway users from the potential hazards created by reentry vehicle splashdowns and recovery operations in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is also necessary to provide for the safe recovery of reentry vehicles, and any personnel invo