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    A.R.S. § 12-558

    Arizona's Liability Release for Commercial Space Flight Activities

    Verified May 17, 2026 • 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session

    A space flight entity in Arizona may enter into a liability release agreement with a participant or crew member to limit its civil liability for injury arising from space flight activities. The agreement is valid and enforceable by statute. Estate plans of people who participate in commercial space flight should account for this rule.

    Title 12, LIMITATIONS OF ACTIONS

    azleg.gov

    What This Statute Says

    Commercial space flight is a growing industry, and Arizona has positioned itself to host parts of that industry. This section gives space flight operators clear authority to use enforceable liability releases.

    A space flight entity may enter into a liability release agreement with a space flight participant or crew to limit the entity's civil liability for a space flight participant's or crew's injury that arises out of space flight activities. The liability release agreement is valid and enforceable.

    A.R.S. § 12-558(A) – (B)

    Who and What the Statute Covers

    "Space flight entity" is any operator that has obtained the appropriate FAA license or authorization. "Space flight activities" reach the entire arc of the flight, including:

    • Research, development, testing, and manufacturing of launch and reentry vehicles.
    • Preparation, launch, the flight itself, reentry, descent, landing, and postlanding recovery.
    • Training related to any of the above.

    "Crew" includes the entity's employees, contractors, licensees, and agents who perform space flight activities.

    What This Means for Arizona Families

    This statute is narrow today and applies to a small group of people, but estate planning for clients who participate in commercial space flight needs to take it into account. A signed release will likely preclude most civil recovery if a participant is injured or killed during space flight activities, leaving compensatory recoveries unavailable to the estate.

    If you or a family member is preparing for commercial space flight, an Arizona estate planning attorney can help align the will, the revocable living trust, life insurance, and beneficiary designations to provide financial protection that does not rely on a future tort claim. Our FAQ on updating an estate plan before a major trip covers a similar planning rhythm.

    A. A space flight entity may enter into a liability release agreement with a space flight participant or crew to limit the entity's civil liability for a space flight participant's or crew's injury that arises out of space flight activities. B. The liability release agreement is valid and enforceable. C. For the purposes of this section: 1. "Crew" means an employee of a space flight entity or a space flight entity contractor, licensee or agent who performs space flight activities. 2. "Launch" means a placement or attempted placement of a launch vehicle and any spacecraft, payload, crew or space flight participant in a flight path targeted to exceed an altitude of sixty thousand feet, a suborbital trajectory, earth orbit or outer space, including activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle or spacecraft for launch. 3. "Launch vehicle" means a vehicle and its stages or components that are designed to operate in or place spacecraft, if any, in a suborbital trajectory, earth orbit or outer space. 4. "Reentry" means a return or attempted return to earth of a launch vehicle, a reentry vehicle and the spacecraft, payload, crew or space flight participant from a suborbital trajectory, earth orbit or outer space and includes activities involved in the recovery of a launch vehicle, reentry vehicle or spacecraft. 5. "Spacecraft" means any object and its components that are designed to be launched for operations in a suborbital trajectory, in earth orbit or in outer space and includes a satellite, a payload, an object carrying crew or a space flight participant and any subcomponents of the launch vehicle or reentry vehicle that are specifically designed or adapted for that object. 6. "Space flight activities" means activities and training in any phase of preparing for and undertaking space flight, including: (a) The research, development, testing or manufacturing of a launch vehicle, reentry vehicle or spacecraft. (b) The preparation of a launch vehicle, reentry vehicle, payload, spacecraft, crew or space flight participant for launch, space flight and reentry. (c) The conduct of the launch. (d) Conduct occurring between the launch and reentry. (e) The preparation of a launch vehicle, reentry vehicle, payload, spacecraft, crew or space flight participant for reentry. (f) The conduct of reentry and descent. (g) The conduct of the landing. (h) The conduct of postlanding recovery of a launch vehicle, reentry vehicle, payload, spacecraft, crew or space flight participant. 7. "Space flight entity" means a person that conducts space flight activities and that has obtained the appropriate federal aviation administration license or other authorization, including safety approval and a payload determination.

    This page provides general legal information about Arizona statutes and is not legal advice. For guidance on how this law applies to your situation, speak with a qualified attorney.

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