S. 980 — Alleviating Spaceport Traffic by Rewarding Operators Act of 2025

This section establishes a pilot program under which the Secretary of Transportation may issue grants to operators of launch or reentry sites (licensed under 51 U.S.C. §50905 or permitted under 51 U.S.C. §50902) for projects to construct, repair, maintain, or improve infrastructure and facilities at or adjacent to such sites that enable or support transportation safety or covered transportation activities (i.e., movement of people or property via vehicle, vessel, railroad, aircraft, or pipeline facility) and are made generally available under reasonable commercial terms. Grants are issued beginning in FY2027 based on the prior fiscal year's operations from the site or adjacent federal launch range: $250,000 per licensed operation plus $100,000 per permitted operation, not to exceed $2.5 million per operator per fiscal year. The Secretary may also issue supplemental grants in the following fiscal year equal to 25% of the base grant if matched dollar-for-dollar by a qualified entity (e.g., state, local, or private) or 50% if matched at a 2:1 ratio; supplementals are not subject to the $2.5 million cap and require matching in the same fiscal year as the base grant. Total grants are capped at $20 million per fiscal year from funds available under 49 U.S.C. §106(k), with any reductions applied first to supplementals and then proportionally to base grants.