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Draft
legislation, which will also allow for horizontal flights to the
edge of space for scientific experiments and the establishment
of space ports around Britain, will set out rules and
regulations for the sector.
The bill will be introduced to parliament later this year, with
specific regulations over issues such as safety and insurance
measures to be developed for commercial operators.
Along with funding for commercial space businesses looking to
create space launches in Britain, the government said the new
powers could see a commercial spaceflight from a UK space port
possible by 2020.
"We have never launched a spaceflight before from this country.
Our ambition is to allow for safe and competitive access to
space from the UK, so we remain at the forefront of a new
commercial space age," aviation minister Tariq Ahmad said in a
statement.
British businesses currently have to use launch services in
other countries, including the United States and Japan.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Susan Thomas)
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