U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has clarified that vessels retrieving spaceflight hardware from the high seas are subject to formal entry and arrival requirements under federal law.
According to a recent ruling, vessels engaged in recovering rocket components — including boosters and fairings — beyond the U.S. territorial sea must report their arrival and file vessel entry documents once they return to port.
CBP emphasized that, for customs purposes, the territorial sea extends three nautical miles from the U.S. coast. Because the retrieval of equipment occurs outside this boundary, the action falls under statutes requiring reporting when merchandise is brought into U.S. jurisdiction.
The agency defined recovered space hardware as “merchandise,” noting that the definition encompasses all goods regardless of ownership or origin. CBP further explained that “receipt” is determined by physical custody aboard a vessel, not by who owns the property.
As a result, droneships and their supporting recovery vessels carrying retrieved equipment must comply with vessel entry obligations. However, towing vessels transporting droneships without directly receiving merchandise are not subject to these rules.
This ruling underscores how CBP is extending maritime entry and reporting standards to emerging industries, highlighting the intersection of aerospace recovery operations and traditional trade compliance law.
