End of life plans for orbital operations
We are changing the licence conditions for new orbital operator licences. At the end of a mission, it is essential that you demonstrate how your operations will be brought to a safe and sustainable conclusion. We are changing the conditions to make licences clear and simpler and remove the need to get permission from the CAA to dispose of your satellite.
This page provides temporary guidance for end of life plans for licence applications submitted after 31/01/2026 only. It does not apply to any licences granted before this date.
CAP2210: Guidance for orbital operator applicants and licensees will be updated to include this information at its next revision.
Application
We require you to provide a plan for the end of life of your satellite as part of your application for an orbital operator licence. When you submit your licence application, we collect this information through the Technical Question Set (TQS) and other supporting documents that form part of the application process.
As a minimum your plans for end of life should:
- identify who has control of the satellite during the disposal phase, especially if this differs from who operated the satellite during its operational lifetime
- describe the concept of operations for the disposal phase, for example passivation, uncontrolled re-entry, controlled re-entry or grave yarding
- identify the subsystems and their status required to perform disposal actions
- identify the conditions when the disposal phase is planned to begin, for example planned disposal start date or specific orbital parameters
- identify the spacecraft or mission parameters which will trigger a review or revision of your plans for EOL
You can collate this information all in one document or spread it across several documents, it’s up to you.
If you choose one document, you can just point to it in your TQS answers and having everything in one place can make updates easier later.
Your licence
Once licensed you will be required to maintain your plan for your satellite’s end of life plan for the duration of your operations.
Your licence will contain the following condition:
- The Licensee must maintain an up-to-date End of Life plan throughout the duration of their operations and comply with the End of Life plan during the disposal phase.
Your reporting plan will include the following requirements:
- The Licensee must submit any changes to the End of Life plan as soon as possible to the Regulator
- The Licensee must notify the Regulator in writing when they have begun their Disposal Phase
- The Licensee must notify the Regulator in writing as soon as possible of either nominal or off-nominal disposal
For more information contact us at commercialspaceflight@caa.co.uk