Space Industry Act 2018


The Space Industry Act 2018 is an Act of Parliament introduced by Chris Grayling as Secretary of State for Transport to create a regulatory framework to enable commercial spaceflight activities to be carried out from spaceports in the United Kingdom.

Outline of provisions

The Act prohibits the carrying on of spaceflight and specified associated activities without a licence and breach of this prohibition will be an offence. The Secretary of State is the regulatory authority and has a duty to secure public safety in carrying out his or her functions under the Act. There are powers to enable the Civil Aviation Authority or other persons to carry out functions on behalf of the Secretary of State. Applicants for licences will also be required to meet any requirements set out in secondary legislation made under this Act.
It creates offences including:
Prosecutions under this act require the consent of the Attorney General for England and Wales or the Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland.