Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing stricter regulations on UK-licenced satellite operators to ensure the safe deorbiting of satellites at the end of their operational life.

The Government is taking forward a wide package of space regulatory reforms to drive growth and innovation, which includes working to ensure a safe, secure and sustainable space environment. As part of this work, the UK Space Agency is undertaking research into the impact of options such as reducing post-mission disposal timelines. The timelines are currently set at 25 years in the UK. Additionally, they have commissioned studies on atmospheric ablation to understand the impact of deorbiting spacecraft on the Earth’s atmosphere. The Government will consider the outcomes of this research to determine if regulatory actions are appropriate and necessary.