4 December 2019Re/insurance

Lloyd's launches space risk product with sector analysis

The 300-year old re/insurance market Lloyd’s of London has launched a multi-million-pound space insurance policy to offer cover to the emerging private spaceflight industry.

The solution – called Llift Space – has been designed to specifically support the sector and Lloyd’s said it could be the driving force behind a tripling in size of the global space market by 2040.

Llift is only available in the Lloyd’s market and allows customers to cover their assets from the pre-launch phase, including transit and placement on the launch vehicle, through to the launch phase and in-orbit operation. It covers satellites that weigh less than 300kg.

The policy is modular so customers can choose the elements within each phase that are most relevant to their coverage needs.

The product is backed by a consortium of 18 syndicates, led by Brit and Hiscox MGA, with a $25m capacity per risk, and is targeted at the NewSpace sector.

NewSpace is characterised by lower cost, easier routes to space, opening up the sector to private enterprise, wealthy entrepreneurs and innovative start-ups. This is increasing the need for space insurance.

According to a new Lloyd’s report, NewSpace: Bringing the new frontier closer to home, published today, the global space market could increase in value from $300bn today to $1 trillion by 2040, driven by NewSpace companies entering the sector.

Trevor Maynard, Lloyd’s head of innovation, said: “New aerospace companies and ventures are emerging all the time. They are looking to develop faster and cheaper access to space and spaceflight. As they do so, they want access to easily scalable insurance that fits their needs and can be arranged quickly to support technological development and business growth. Our new space consortium allows Lloyd’s to do this better than ever. The breadth and depth of space insurance knowledge among Lloyd’s underwriters and brokers means that Lloyd’s is the number one choice for both traditional and NewSpace insurance.”

Gary Brice, head of marine and space for Lloyd’s managing agent Brit Global Specialty, which manages Llift Space with Hiscox, said: “Llift Space takes away the complexity of traditional space insurance and allows customers, in particular those in the NewSpace sector, to insure all the phases of their project with one policy.”

Pascal Lecointe, head of space for Hiscox, added: “Having two leading markets in the sector come together in a way that’s never been done before to create a genuinely innovative Lloyd’s product for this dynamic new industry, highlights the place Lloyd’s retains at the forefront of the global space insurance market.”




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More on this story

News
26 September 2019   Lloyd’s has created an independent advisory group to oversee its cultural transformation that will be headed by Fiona Luck, a former member of the Bermuda Monetary Authority board of directors and current board member at Lloyd’s.
News
3 April 2019   The Lloyd’s operations of the Bermuda re/insurance sector largely underperformed in 2018, with all of their managing agents reporting underwriting losses, according to a report from equity research firm Jefferies.