The Space Industry Regulations 2021

CHAPTER 3 Risk assessments

Prescribed roles

31.  For the purposes of section 9(2), “crew member” is a prescribed role and “spaceflight participant” is a prescribed capacity.

Prescribed requirements for risk assessment

32.—(1) In carrying out the risk assessment required by section 9(2) for human occupants, an applicant must identify hazards that could harm the health or safety of human occupants, at any time, by—

(a) causing an accident during the relevant time, or

(b) arising during the relevant time.

(2) In particular, the applicant must comply with Schedule 2.

(3) For each hazard identified an applicant must—

(a) identify the conditions under which it could occur;

(b) identify what could cause it or contribute to it;

(c) assess the likelihood of it arising;

(d) assess its foreseeable consequences;

(e) use the assessments required by sub-paragraphs (c) and (d) to evaluate the risks to the health and safety of human occupants;

(f) define any appropriate measures to take to—

(i) prevent it from occurring, and

(ii) mitigate its consequences if it does occur.

(4) For the measures defined under paragraph (3)(f), an applicant must—

(a) define appropriate performance standards;

(b) decide what mechanisms to use for reviewing those measures.

(5) When considering measures under paragraph (3)(f), an applicant must take into account—

(a) training to be provided to human occupants;

(b) medical requirements for human occupants;

(c) the technical requirements of the launch vehicle.

(6) In this regulation “the relevant time” for a human occupant starts when the human occupant boards the launch vehicle for the purpose of being carried on it during the proposed spaceflight activities and ends when all human occupants have disembarked.

Information to be provided to regulator about risk assessment

33.—(1) On making an application for a licence that would authorise spaceflight activities involving human occupants, an applicant must submit to the regulator—

(a) evidence that the applicant will, if granted the licence, be able to meet the requirements of any of regulations 106 to 123 that will apply, and

(b) a written record of the risk assessment carried out under section 9(2).

(2) The written record must also set out any measures that the applicant considered under regulation 32(3)(f) but does not intend to implement, with an explanation of why the applicant decided not to implement those measures.

(3) The regulator may request that an applicant who has carried out a risk assessment under section 9(2) provide the regulator with details of the risk assessment in an easily understandable form, and an applicant must comply with such a request within a period specified in writing by the regulator.

(4) The easily understandable form of the details of the risk assessment must set out in writing the outcome of each of the steps the applicant has taken under regulation 32(1) to (3).

(5) If an applicant revises a risk assessment after providing a written record of the risk assessment to the regulator, the applicant must, without delay, give the regulator—

(a) a written record of the revised risk assessment, and

(b) the details of the updated risk assessment in an easily understandable form.