Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to issue space port licences for (a) horizontal and (b) vertical take off.

Royal Assent of the Space Industry Bill on 15 March 2018 was a major milestone in establishing the environment for safe, responsible and commercial spaceflight operations from UK spaceports. We are now working swiftly to put in place the detailed regulations, including licence requirements for spaceports and spaceflight operators. We opened a call for evidence on 27 March that will assist in formulating policy related to liability, insurance and charging; and are continuing to engage with prospective licensees. We are planning to publish and consult on the detailed regulations in 2019. Once the detailed licensing requirements are in place, it will enable companies to apply to become a licenced spaceport or spaceflight operator.