Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's report entitled Regulatory Horizons Council: the Future Regulation of Space Technologies, published on 25 April 2024, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that small space businesses have regulatory guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority that supports the (a) launch and (b) return of experimental (i) satellites and (ii) spacecraft.

We are working closely with Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), who we understand have met with the Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) on their report published in April 2024. A formal response will be sent to the RHC in the new year.

To support the sector the CAA publish guidance setting out regulatory principles and how applicants can comply with the outcome focused legislation. Their guidance was last updated in May 2024.

The CAA also has regular, close engagement with the whole sector through Space Launch and Orbit Group (SPLOG), which provides the CAA opportunities to engage with operators to understand mission concepts and provide guidance on how to progress a licence application.

Working alongside the CAA, we will ensure we have legislation that is effective and globally competitive, through the use of a Regulatory Sandbox and a Post Implementation Review of the Space Industry Regulations 2021, commencing in January 2025.