Outer Space Act 1986

Last updated

Outer Space Act 1986
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Variant 1, 2022).svg
Long title An Act to confer licensing and other powers on the Secretary of State to secure compliance with the international obligations of the United Kingdom with respect to the launching and operation of space objects and the carrying on of other activities in outer space by persons connected with this country.
Citation 1986 c. 38
Territorial extent England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent 18 July 1986
Commencement 31 July 1989
Other legislation
Amended by Deregulation Act 2015, Space Industry Act 2018
Relates to Space Industry Act 2018
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
The Outer Space Act 1986
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (variant 1, 1952-2022).svg
Long title A bill to secure compliance with the international obligations of the United Kingdom with respect to the launching and operation of space objects and the carrying on of other activities in outer space by persons connected with this country.
Dates
Royal assent 18 July 1986
Commencement 5 July 1989

The Outer Space Act 1986 is an Act of Parliament that implements the United Kingdom's international obligations with respect to space launches and operations by people connected to the country. The act did not come into force until 1 August 1989. [1]

Contents

Outline of provisions

The Act specifies that anyone who launches a space object or carries out any activity in outer space must obtain a licence before doing so. This licence must be granted by the Secretary of state and may contain terms enforceable by prosecution. [1] [2]

Under section 7 a UK Registry of Outer Space Objects is maintained by the UK Space Agency, and is periodically published. [3]

Amendment of the Outer Space Act 1986

In 2015, Section 12 of the Deregulation Act amended the Outer Space Act to ensure licences specify the licensee's liability to indemnify the government regarding space activities authorised by the licence. [4]

The Space Industry Act 2018 extended and improved the regulatory framework for commercial spaceflight activities to be carried out from spaceports in the United Kingdom and launches and other activities overseas by UK entities. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species, controls the release of non-native species, enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and builds upon the rights of way rules in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Act is split into 4 parts covering 74 sections; it also includes 17 schedules.

The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It was tasked with ensuring healthy competition between companies in the UK for the ultimate benefit of consumers and the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Animals Act 1986, sometimes referred to as ASPA, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1986, which regulates the use of animals used for research in the UK. The Act permits studies to be conducted using animals for procedures such as breeding genetically modified animals, medical and veterinary advances, education, environmental toxicology and includes procedures requiring surgery, if certain criteria are met. Revised legislation came into force on 1 January 2013. The original act related to the 1986 EU Directive 86/609/EEC which was updated and replaced by EU Directive 2010/63/EU

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Rail and Road</span> United Kingdom government non-ministerial department

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Commercial Space Transportation</span>

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation is the branch of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that approves any commercial rocket launch operations — that is, any launches that are not classified as model, amateur, or "by and for the government" — in the case of a U.S. launch operator and/or a launch from the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle and Operator Services Agency</span>

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was an executive agency granted trading fund status in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government.

A regulatory agency or independent agency is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulating capacity.

Non-ministerial government departments (NMGDs) are a type of department of the United Kingdom government that deal with matters for which direct political oversight has been judged unnecessary or inappropriate. They are headed by senior civil servants. Some fulfil a regulatory or inspection function, and their status is therefore intended to protect them from political interference. Some are headed by a permanent office holder, such as a Permanent Secretary or Second Permanent Secretary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Royal Parks</span> Collection of parks originally owned by the royal family

The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages eight royal parks and certain other areas of parkland in London. The Royal Parks charity was created as a company limited by guarantee in March 2017 and officially launched in July 2017. Its chief executive is Andrew Scattergood.

The British space programme is the British government's work to develop British space capabilities. The objectives of the current civil programme are to "win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific knowledge and provide benefits to all citizens."

Space jurisdiction, a field addressing what countries can enforce various laws in space, has become more important as the private sector enters the field of space tourism. Under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, while space and celestial bodies cannot be appropriated by nations, objects launched into space and personnel on board them remain under the jurisdiction of the state of registry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security Industry Authority</span> Statutory body in the United Kingdom

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the statutory organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK. Established as a non-departmental public body in 2003, the SIA reports to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space policy of the United States</span>

The space policy of the United States includes both the making of space policy through the legislative process, and the implementation of that policy in the United States' civilian and military space programs through regulatory agencies. The early history of United States space policy is linked to the US–Soviet Space Race of the 1960s, which gave way to the Space Shuttle program. At the moment, the US space policy is aimed at the exploration of the Moon and the subsequent colonization of Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gas Act 1986</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Gas Act 1986 created the framework for privatisation of the gas supply industry in Great Britain. This legislation would be replacing the British Gas Corporation with British Gas plc. The Act also established a licensing regime, a Gas Consumers’ Council, and a regulator for the industry called the Office of Gas Supply (OFGAS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984</span> Federal law facilitating commercialization of space technology

Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 is a United States federal law authored to facilitate the private enterprise of the commercialization of space and space technology. The Act of Congress set forth the quest to acquire innovative equipment and services offered by entrepreneurial ventures from the information technology services, remote sensing technology, and telecommunications industries. The Act recognized the United States private sector as having the capability to develop commercial launch vehicles, orbital satellites, and operate private launch sites and services. The Act also assigned the duties of overseeing and coordinating commercial launches, issuing of licenses and permits, and promotion of safety standards to the Secretary of Department of Transportation.

Primary legislation and secondary legislation are two forms of law, created respectively by the legislative and executive branches of governments in representative democracies. Primary legislation generally consists of statutes, also known as 'acts', that set out broad principles and rules, but may delegate specific authority to an executive branch to make more specific laws under the aegis of the principal act. The executive branch can then issue secondary legislation, creating legally enforceable regulations and the procedures for implementing them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Industry Act 2018</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Space Industry Act 2018 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by Chris Grayling as Secretary of State for Transport to extend and improve the regulatory framework for commercial spaceflight activities to be carried out from spaceports in the United Kingdom and launches and other activities overseas by UK entities. It operates in conjunction with the Outer Space Act 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020</span> UK law

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to companies and other entities in financial difficulty, and which makes temporary changes to laws relating to the governance and regulation of companies and other entities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which started the process of privatisation of the oil and gas industries in the UK. It empowered the government to float off and sell shares in Britoil the upstream production side of the British National Oil Corporation. It ended the British Gas Corporation’s monopoly on the transportation and supply of gas, opening up the gas market to other gas suppliers. The Act made miscellaneous provisions relating to the oil and gas industries concerning Petroleum Licences and Offshore Installations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petroleum Act 1987</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Petroleum Act 1987 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which updates the arrangements for regulating offshore installations and their operation. In particular it makes provisions for the licensing and the safe and orderly abandonment of installations and submarine pipelines.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Outer Space Act 1986 (Fees) Regulations 1989". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. "Outer Space Act 1986". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2023. confer licensing and other powers on the Secretary of State to secure compliance with the international obligations of the United Kingdom with respect to the launching and operation of space objects
  3. UK Registry of Outer Space Objects (PDF) (Report). UK Space Agency. October 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  4. "Licence to operate a space object: how to apply" . Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  5. Puschman, Nicholas; et al. (August 2020). "One giant (regulatory) leap for UK spaceflight: the launch of the UK Government's consultation on the supporting regulations to the Space Industry Act 2018". Bird & Bird. Retrieved 10 March 2021.