The UK space industry has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2022, the sector was worth an estimated £18.3bn to the domestic economy, with more than 1,500 businesses employing about 49,000 people. £635m was invested last year in space industry operations, and Spaceport Cornwall was granted the UK’s first spaceport operator licence. The industry connects with wider government strategies such as net zero, Build Back Greener and becoming a science superpower.
The Space Industry Act 2018 replaced legislation dating back to the Apollo-era UN Outer Space Treaty. It provides for: licensing and operation of spaceports and spaceflight; provision and operation of range control services; training, recruitment and welfare of human participants in space industry operations; investigation of accidents; and the administration of the industry and its operations by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Halsbury’s Laws of England, Space Industry is fully integrated within the Halsbury range of titles.
