The Outer Space Act 1986 is an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
that implements the United Kingdom's international obligations with respect to space launches and operations by people connected to the country. The act did not come into force until 1 August 1989.
Outline of provisions
The Act specifies that anyone who launches a space object or carries out any activity in outer space must obtain a licence before doing so. This licence must be granted by the
Secretary of state and may contain terms enforceable by prosecution.
Under section 7 a UK Registry of Outer Space Objects is maintained by the
UK Space Agency
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre ...
, and is periodically published.
Amendment of the Outer Space Act 1986
In 2015, Section 12 of the
Deregulation Act amended the Outer Space Act to ensure licences specify the licensee's liability to indemnify the government regarding space activities authorised by the licence.
The
Space Industry Act 2018
The Space Industry Act 2018 (c. 5) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by Chris Grayling as Secretary of State for Transport to extend and improve the regulatory framework for commercial spaceflight activities (involving both ...
extended and improved the regulatory framework for commercial spaceflight activities to be carried out from
spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...
s in the United Kingdom and launches and other activities overseas by UK entities.
See also
*
British space programme
The British space programme is the British government's work to develop British space capabilities. The objectives of the current civil programme are to "win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific knowledge and provide benefits to a ...
References
External links
Full text of the Outer Space Act 1986The Outer Space Act 1986
{{Authority control
Space law in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1986