Legislation – Space Industry Act 2018
Changes to legislation:
Space Industry Act 2018, Section 51 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.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to Section 51:
- specified provision(s) amendment to earlier commencing S.I. 2021/817, Sch. by S.I. 2021/874 reg. 2
Offences and civil sanctions
51Application of criminal law to spacecraft etc
(1)
Any act or omission which—
(a)
occurs outside the United Kingdom on board a spacecraft or carrier aircraft launched in the United Kingdom, and
(b)
would constitute an offence under the law in force in (or in a particular part of) the United Kingdom if it occurred in the United Kingdom (or in that part of it),
constitutes that offence.
(2)
Proceedings for an offence may be instituted in reliance on subsection (1)—
(a)
in England and Wales, only by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions;
(b)
in Northern Ireland, only by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.
(3)
Subsection (2) does not apply to an offence under this Act or under regulations made under this Act.
(4)
For the purpose of conferring jurisdiction—
(a)
an offence that is treated as committed by virtue of subsection (1), or
(b)
an offence under Schedule 4,
is treated as having been committed in any place in the United Kingdom (or in the relevant part of the United Kingdom) where the offender is for the time being.
(5)
Subsection (4) does not affect any jurisdiction exercisable apart from that subsection.