(a) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall adopt, and may amend, reasonable regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, concerning the safe design, construction, manufacture, testing, certification, storage, sale, shipping, operation and launching of rockets propelled by rocket motors, including, but not limited to, solid, liquid and cold propellant, hybrid, steam or pressurized liquid rocket motors. Such regulations shall include provisions for the prevention of injury to life and damage to property and protection of hazards incident to the design, construction, manufacture, testing, storage, sale, shipping, operation and launching of such rockets. The commissioner shall enforce such regulations.

(b) Such regulations shall not apply to (1) the design, construction, production, fabrication, manufacture, maintenance, launching, flight, test, operation, use of or any activity in connection with a rocket or rocket motor when carried on by or engaged in by the government of the United States or any state government, any college, university or other institution of higher learning, any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, corporation or other business entity engaged in research, development, production, test, maintenance or supply of rockets, rocket motors, rocket propellants or rocket components as a business under contract to or for the purposes of sale to any government, college, university, institution of higher learning or other similarly engaged business entity; or (2) the design, construction, production, fabrication, manufacture, maintenance, launching, flight, test, operation, use of or any activity in connection with rocket-propelled model aircraft which sustain themselves against gravity by aerodynamic lifting surfaces during the entire duration of their flight in the air, or to the rocket motors that provide propulsion therefor.