The Space Industry Regulations 2021

The launch vehicle

91.—(1) A spaceflight operator must not use a launch vehicle in the operator’s spaceflight activities unless it is fit for those activities.

(2) A launch vehicle is fit for the operator’s spaceflight activities if that vehicle—

(a) complies with the conditions in paragraph (3), and

(b) complies with any conditions about that vehicle in the launch operator licence or the return operator licence.

(3) The conditions are that the launch vehicle—

(a) has been designed to a specification that meets the technical requirements of the vehicle,

(b) has been built consistently with that specification,

(c) has been through the verification and validation processes set out in regulation 94 which demonstrate that it—

(i) conforms with the technical requirements referred to in sub-paragraph (a),

(ii) is free from workmanship errors which could prevent the vehicle carrying out the operator’s spaceflight activities safely,

(iii) is otherwise ready to take part in those activities, and

(iv) is capable of carrying out those activities safely, and

(d) if it has a human occupant, the systems and flight recorder referred to in regulation 109 have been installed in the vehicle.