Space flights and satellite launches can now ‘blast off’ from the UK

Space flights and satellite launches can now be conducted from the UK with the passing of new regulations.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new laws today, which will provide a framework to regulate the space industry and will unlock "a potential £4 billion of market opportunities over the next decade", according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

The first launch is expected to take place next year, and it would be the first time a spacecraft or satellite has taken off from a European country according to the DfT.