Independent report
Regulatory Sandbox for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations: Stage 1
Outputs from Stage 1 of the Regulatory Sandbox for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO).
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Details
This is an independent report and does not represent government policy.
Stage 1 of the regulatory sandbox addresses key regulatory challenges identified in the UK Space Regulatory Review 2024, with a focus on developing a clear, effective and predictable framework for licensing RPO missions and wider space activities.
Stage 1 of the RPO regulatory sandbox focused on:
- agreeing the minimum viable product (MVP) for the sandbox and defining a target mission concept (TMC)
- evaluating licensing requirements and identifying gaps and challenges in the current regulatory framework
- conducting initial risk assessments for safety, security, and sustainability and undertaking an iterative simulation of licensing process using the TMC
- using outputs from the regulatory and technical reviews, making recommendations for ways to improve the regulatory framework, addressing areas of uncertainty and streamline current challenges identified
The principal outputs of this project are:
- the sandbox methodology and mode, which can be used for future sandboxes; and
- identified challenges for RPO operators with recommendations to address them
This independent report also presents other findings of the sandbox, including on spectrum challenges, insurance considerations, and the economic impact assessment of the sandbox.
Updates to this page
Published 20 August 2025