5.1 This guide is intended to be used by design teams developing suborbital space vehicles. It contains a consensus of the design topics known through experience of the technical community to be the minimum to which attention must be paid during the design process to ensure a high probability of safe flight and return to Earth of humans.

1.1 This guide addresses the design of suborbital space vehicles that carry flight crew, spaceflight participants, mission specialists or other humans on suborbital trajectories.

1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.