Legislation – Space Industry Act 2018
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Space Industry Act 2018, Section 1 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 08 April 2026. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
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Regulation of spaceflight etc
1Introduction
(1)
This Act has effect for the purpose of regulating—
(a)
space activities,
(b)
sub-orbital activities, and
(c)
associated activities,
carried out in the United Kingdom.
(2)
For the purposes of this Act, a person carries out a space activity or sub-orbital activity if the person causes it to occur or is responsible for its continuing.
(3)
In section 1 of the Outer Space Act 1986 (activities to which that Act applies)—
(a)
omit “whether carried on in the United Kingdom or elsewhere”;
(b)
“(2)
This Act does not apply to activities carried on in the United Kingdom (and accordingly does not apply to activities requiring authorisation under section 3(1) of the Space Industry Act 2018).”
(4)
In this Act—
“space activity” means—
(a)
launching or procuring the launch or the return to earth of a space object or of an aircraft carrying a space object,
(b)
operating a space object, or
(c)
any activity in outer space;
“sub-orbital activity” means launching, procuring the launch of, operating or procuring the return to earth of—
(a)
a craft to which subsection (5) applies, or
(b)
an aircraft carrying such a craft,
but does not include space activity.
(5)
This subsection applies to—
(a)
a rocket or other craft that is capable of operating above the stratosphere;
(b)
a balloon that is capable of reaching the stratosphere carrying crew or passengers.
(6)
Space activities and sub-orbital activities are referred to in this Act as “spaceflight activities”.