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First UK space launch due next year as government introduces new rules

People will be able to visit space for a holiday and hypersonic flights - which are faster than the speed of sound - will eventually launch from the UK, the Department for Transport claimed.

Thursday 29 July 2021 18:55, UK
https://news.sky.com/story/first-uk-space-launch-due-next-year-as-government-introduces-new-rules-12367082

Space flights and satellite launches can now take place in the UK, with the first expected next year, after new regulations came into force.

The Department of Transport (DfT) announced a framework of rules to regulate the space industry and said it has "a potential £4bn of market opportunities over the next decade".

The first launch of a spacecraft or satellite from UK soil is expected to take place next year and will mark the first one ever from a European country, according to the DfT.

Currently, many European companies launch from a site in French Guiana, South America.

Spaceport sites have been planned across the UK, including in Scotland and Cornwall, with the hope of cementing the country as Europe's most attractive destination for commercial spaceflight activities.

It is hoped the industry will launch satellites to improve satnav systems and boost the monitoring of weather patterns and climate change.

Space tourism trips and hypersonic flights - which are faster than the speed of sound - will eventually launch from the UK, the DfT claimed

https://news.sky.com/story/first-uk-space-launch-due-next-year-as-government-introduces-new-rules-12367082