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US Munitions List Category XV

The US Munitions List Category XV covers the following defense articles, services, and related technical data: Spacecraft Systems and Associated Equipment.

If you selected Category XV on the Manage United States Munitions List screen, then you can choose the corresponding USML sub-category details from the table below.

Sub-Category

An asterisk precedes certain defense articles in the following list. The asterisk means that the article is deemed to be "Significant Military Equipment" to the extent specified in § 120.7 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) issued by the Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).

Sub-Category Description
a * (a) Spacecraft, including communications satellites, remote sensing satellites, scientific satellites, research satellites, navigation satellites, experimental and multi-mission satellites.

Commercial communications satellites, scientific satellites, research satellites and experimental satellites are designated as SME only when the equipment is intended for use by the armed forces of any foreign country.

b (b) Ground control stations for telemetry, tracking and control of spacecraft or satellites, or employing any of the cryptographic items controlled under category XIII of this subchapter.
c (c) Global Positioning System (GPS) receiving equipment specifically designed, modified or configured for military use; or GPS receiving equipment with any of the following characteristics:

  • (1) Designed for encryption or decryption (e.g., Y-Code) of GPS precise positioning service (PPS) signals;

  • (2) Designed for producing navigation results above 60,000 feet altitude and at 1,000 knots velocity or greater;

  • (3) Specifically designed or modified for use with a null steering antenna or including a null steering antenna designed to reduce or avoid jamming signals;

  • (4) Designed or modified for use with unmanned air vehicle systems capable of delivering at least a 500 kg payload to a range of at least 300 km.

GPS receivers designed or modified for use with military unmanned air vehicle systems with less capability are considered to be specifically designed, modified or configured for military use and therefore covered under this paragraph (d)(4).) Any GPS equipment not meeting this definition is subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce (DOC). Manufacturers or exporters of equipment under DOC jurisdiction are advised that the U.S. Government does not assure the availability of the GPS P-Code for civil navigation. It is the policy of the Department of Defense (DOD) that GPS receivers using P-Code without clarification as to whether or not those receivers were designed or modified to use YCode will be presumed to be Y-Code capable and covered under this paragraph. The DOD policy further requires that a notice be attached to all P-Code receivers presented for export. The notice must state the following:

ADVISORY NOTICE: This receiver uses the GPS P-Code signal, which by U.S. policy, may be switched off without notice.’’

d (d) Radiation-hardened microelectronic circuits that meet or exceed all five of the following characteristics:

  • (1) A total dose of 5×105 Rads (Si);

  • (2) A dose rate upset threshold of 5×108 Rads (Si)/sec;

  • (3) A neutron dose of 1×1014 n/cm2 (1 MeV equivalent);

  • (4) A single event upset rate of 1×10¥10 errors/ bit-day or less, for the CREME96 geosynchronous orbit, Solar Minimum Environment;

  • (5) Single event latch-up free and having a dose rate latch-up threshold of 5×108 Rads (Si).

e (e) All specifically designed or modified systems or subsystems, components, parts, accessories, attachments, and associated equipment for the articles in this category, including the articles identified in section 1516 of Public Law 105–261: satellite fuel, ground support equipment, test equipment, payload adapter or interface hardware, replacement parts, and non-embedded solid propellant orbit transfer engines (see also Categories IV and V in this section).
f (f) Technical data (as defined in § 120.10 of this subchapter) and defense services (as defined in § 120.9 of this subchapter) directly related to the articles enumerated in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this category, as well as detailed design, development, manufacturing or production data for all spacecraft and specifically designed or modified components for all spacecraft systems. This paragraph includes all technical data, without exception, for all launch support activities (e.g., technical data provided to the launch provider on form, fit, function, mass, electrical, mechanical, dynamic, environmental, telemetry, safety, facility,  launch pad access, and launch parameters, as well as interfaces for mating and parameters for launch.) (See § 124.1 for the requirements for technical assistance agreements before defense services may be furnished even when all the information relied upon by the U.S. person in performing the defense service is in the public domain or is otherwise exempt from the licensing requirements of this subchapter.) Technical data directly related to the manufacture or production of any article enumerated elsewhere in this category that is designated as Significant Military Equipment (SME) shall itself be designated SME. Further, technical data directly related to the manufacture or production of all spacecraft, notwithstanding the nature of the intended end use (e.g., even where the hardware is not SME), is designated SME.

The special export controls contained in § 124.15 of this subchapter are always required before a U.S. person may participate in a launch failure investigation or analysis and before the export of any article or defense service in this category for launch in, or by nationals of, a country that is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Such special export controls also may be imposed with respect to any destination as deemed appropriate in furtherance of the security and foreign policy of the United States.

This coverage by the U.S. Munitions List does not include the following unless specifically designed or modified for military application (see § 120.3 of this subchapter): (For controls on these items see the Export Administration Regulations, Commerce Control List (15 CFR Parts 730 through 799).)

(1) Space qualified travelling wave tubes (also known as helix tubes or TWTs), microwave solid state amplifiers, microwave assemblies, and travelling wave tube amplifiers operating at frequencies equal to or less than 31GHz.

(2) Space qualified photovoltaic arrays having silicon cells or having single, dual, triple junction solar cells that have gallium arsenide as one of the junctions.

(3) Space qualified tape recorders.

(4) Atomic frequency standards that are not space qualified.

(5) Space qualified data recorders.

(6) Space qualified telecommunications systems, equipment and components not designed or modified for satellite uses.

(7) Technology required for the development or production of telecommunications equipment specifically designed for non-satellite uses.

(8) Space qualified focal plane arrays having more than 2048 elements per array and having a peak response in the wavelength range exceeding 300nm but not exceeding 900nm.

(9) Space qualified laser radar or Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) equipment.