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The majority of ITAR restrictions (and other similar export laws, in my experience) are for technologies that help with navigation and targetting, not propulsion. The technology to build an amateur rocket is a lot more widespread and easier to build locally or import.

Besides, export restrictions are rarely absolute - they mostly just add paperwork to legally certify that neither you nor your clients are sending the technology in question to Iran or NK.




ITAR restricts rocket engine engines above a certain specific impulse: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/22/121.1

Try building an ICBM in your back yard and wait to see how long it will take for some government agency to come knocking.

And you don’t need to import it, making these publicly and not to mention possibly opening the plans to the public will trigger some alarms some where.

Even if you take national security concerns out of the equation there are a lot of other safety concerns that would get someone interested.

I personally would prefer that my naighbour won’t be assembling a liquid fueled rocket in their garage :)




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