UK Statutory Instrument 2021 United Kingdom

Space Industry Regulations 2021

At a glance

Enforced by

CAA

What's here

181 compliance obligations, 4 practical guides across 2 topics

Penalty landscape

27 of 181 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 4 carry different penalties and 150 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Operator 71
  • Licence Holder 50
  • Any Person 34
  • Applicant 12
  • Director or Officer 3
  • Trader 1
  • Occupier 1

Plus 9 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Operators also bound by 125 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Licence Holders also bound by 50 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Applicants also bound by 146 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Traders also bound by 219 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Occupiers also bound by 101 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — General

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 2 — Appointment of the regulator

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 3 — Grant of a licence – general

Browse 10 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 4 — Grant of a spaceflight operator licence: risk

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Grant of a spaceport licence

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — Range Control Services

s.043

Relevant agreements

  • Establish and maintain written agreements for range control services Licence Holder
Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 7 — Training, qualifications and medical fitness

s.059

Training resources

  • Maintain adequate training resources and manage third-party providers Licence Holder
s.060

Records

  • Keep detailed training and mission rehearsal records Licence Holder
s.066

Training manual

  • Compile, approve, and maintain a spaceflight training manual Licence Holder
s.067

Approval of the training manual

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • CAA must approve training manual sections if they are fit for purpose Statutory regulator
s.069

Training programme

  • Establish and maintain a spaceflight training programme Licence Holder
s.071

Training equipment

  • Ensure access to and monitor compliant spaceflight training equipment Licence Holder
s.072

Medical obligations

  • Ensure medical fitness of all spaceflight crew and participants Licence Holder
s.077

Medical records

  • Maintain and protect medical records for spaceflight participants Licence Holder
Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 8 — Safety of operator’s spaceflight activities

s.091

The launch vehicle

  • Ensure launch vehicles are fit for spaceflight activities Operator
s.098

Dangerous goods

  • Only carry dangerous goods if permitted by your spaceflight licence Operator
s.112

Emergency equipment

  • Equip launch vehicles with emergency and evacuation equipment Operator
s.133

Penalties

2 years imprisonment
  • Commit offence under Space Industry Regulations 124‑132 Any Person
Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 9 — Cosmic radiation requirements: crew of a launch vehicle and crew of a carrier aircraft

s.141

Overexposure

  • Investigate and report suspected cosmic radiation overexposure Operator
s.144

Medical surveillance

  • Ensure medical surveillance and health reviews for spaceflight crew Operator
s.145

Health records

  • Create and retain health records for classified spaceflight crew Operator
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 10 — Spaceport safety

s.162

Safety equipment

  • Maintain and test spaceport safety equipment Licence Holder
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 11 — Security

s.192

Segregated areas

  • Propose and delineate segregated areas for US space technology Licence Holder
Browse 10 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 12 — Informed consent

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 13 — Liabilities and indemnities

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 14 — Monitoring and enforcement

s.228

Information notices

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • CAA may issue an information notice to obtain necessary data Statutory regulator
s.234

Offences of false recording

2 years imprisonment
  • Use or tamper with false or unauthorised space‑industry documents Any Person
s.237

Appointment of inspector

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • CAA must appoint qualified inspectors in writing Statutory regulator
s.238

Duties of inspector

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • CAA inspectors must monitor and enforce spaceflight safety and compliance Statutory regulator
Browse 26 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 15 — Civil sanctions (stop notices)

s.266

Contents of stop notice

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • CAA must include specific details in stop notices Statutory regulator
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 16 — Occurrence reporting

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 17 — Miscellaneous

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

CAA

Civil Aviation Authority

UK's aviation regulator. Responsible for aviation safety, airspace policy, economic regulation of airports, and consumer protection. Issues air operator certificates, pilot licences, …

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Browse legislation

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Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.