Engineering news
The space industry bill received royal assent yesterday, enabling the first commercial launches from UK soil. Described by the government as “the most modern piece of space industry legislation anywhere in the world,” the bill aims to let British companies launch from domestic spaceports.
“This is a significant step,” said Graham Carberry from corporate finance adviser Livingstone, which works closely with investors in space technology and small satellites. “It provides welcome clarity to an area which has historically lacked regulatory guidance, and a sense of certainty which will likely encourage further investment.”
Other experts previously questioned the UK’s suitability for commercial launches. ThumbSat founder Shaun Whitehead told Professional Engineering that legal, safety and geographical issues could result in a “white elephant” spaceport.
“Commercial success for a UK spaceport is not a given,” Carberry told PE. “In investment terms, we still lag behind the US, and several European countries are eyeing slices of the market. Geographically we are not well placed as the vast majority of satellites are launched from the Equator, simply because it’s far more fuel efficient to fire them into low earth orbit.”
However, he added, the UK’s strong grounding in aerospace and defence manufacturing means the country has a lot to offer space investors, and the bill could be the key to “lifting off”.
The UK Space Agency previously allayed fears of a white elephant port, telling PE that accessible orbits are “increasingly desirable” for small satellite constellations. The space industry bill and a £50m spaceport launch fund could turn “opportunity into a reality,” said the agency's commercial space director Ross James.
The law will not only enable small satellite launches and scientific experiments, but could also let companies take advantage of future developments such as commercial hypersonic flight and high-speed point-to-point transport.
Domestic access to space is the “final piece of the puzzle” for the burgeoning UK space sector, said transport minister Jo Johnson. The government hopes to tap an expanding launch market, worth an estimated £10bn over the next decade.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.