draftspaceflightbill
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The UK's spaceport ambitions inch closer to reality
The UK government's goal to play host to the first spaceport in Europe is taking a baby step closer to fruition today. After being introduced just over a year ago as the Draft Spaceflight Bill, the rebranded Space Industry Bill is receiving royal assent to become part of UK law. While it sounds fancy, the nuts and bolts of it are kinda boring. The legislation covers necessities like spaceflight licensing, insurance requirements and safety commitments. Not a particularly exciting read then, but it does lay the regulatory groundwork that'll be essential for an operational spaceport. The government hasn't provided any update on when it hopes one will open, but previously it's said 2020 sounds doable.
Spaceflight Bill paves the way for a UK spaceport in 2020
Space isn't just big, it's big business. According to the government, the UK's space industry is already worth more than £13.7 billion to the economy, but one thing's missing: The infrastructure needed to send the next satellite or experiment up into the void from British shores. Plans to grow the commercial space sector have been under way for some time, and several potential sites for the UK's (and potentially Europe's) first spaceport have already been proposed. But before you can shoot for the stars, you have to regulate, which is the intention of the Draft Spaceflight Bill introduced today.
