Occurrence reports are a mandatory requirement under the Space Industry Regulations and may be required for licences granted under the Outer Space Act 1986 or large rocket permissions issued under Article 96 of the Air Navigation Order 2016.
The purpose of occurrence reports is to prevent a spaceflight accident or major accident, without the apportionment of blame or liability
We also use our occurrence reporting system to capture cyber notifiable incidents.
Notifying us of cyber incidents is a mandatory requirement under the Space Industry Regulations 2021. You should also report any suspected cyber incident to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Occurrence reports and cyber notifiable incidents must be submitted to us within 72 hours of the time at which you became aware of the occurrence or incident
We treat all occurrence reports and notifiable incidents confidentially to maintain full and free reporting from the space industry and rocket community and to protect the identity of individuals.
Send us an occurrence report or cyber incident
If you have other concerns that you believe may affect the safety of space activities in the UK, you can make a whistleblowing report.
Occurrences
For launch or return operator, range control services or spaceport operator licences an occurrence is;
An unexpected event, fortuitous or otherwise arising during spaceflight activities or in the preparation for those activities. It is also an incident that, if not corrected or addressed, could or has resulted in an incident or major accident.
For orbital activities an occurrence is;
Any collision with another space object, any other event that generates space debris, or any incident during or in preparation for licensed activities which, if not corrected or addressed, could result in a platform failure, loss of control of the satellite or risk to other space objects.
Cyber notifiable incidents
Any event involving a cyber incident that has the potential to compromise or has compromised the security of the network and information systems utilised by the licensee.
If you experience suspicious activity but you are not sure if it would be classed as a notifiable incident, please submit a report to us providing as much information as possible.
When you submit an occurrence report or notifiable incident, you’ll receive an email that will confirm receipt, provide a summary of the information you sent and give you reference number for your report.
If we need more information, we will contact you.