The United Kingdom Space Agency (Transfer of Property etc.) Order 2011

Made: 16th March 2011

Coming into force: 1st April 2011

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 3(6) of the Science and Technology Act 1965[^f00001], makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the United Kingdom Space Agency (Transfer of Property etc.) Order 2011 and shall come into force on 1st April 2011.

Interpretation

2

In this Order—

• “NERC” means the Natural Environment Research Council established as a Research Council under section 1(1)(b) of the Science and Technology Act 1965;

• “STFC” means the Science and Technology Facilities Council established as a Research Council under the Science and Technology Act 1965 by virtue of the Science and Technology Facilities Council Order 2007[^f00002]; and

• “TSB” means the Technology Strategy Board established as a Research Council under the Science and Technology Act 1965 by virtue of the Technology Strategy Board Order 2007[^f00003].

Transfer of property, rights, liabilities and obligations

3

In relation to the operation of the United Kingdom Space Agency, there are transferred to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills all property, rights, liabilities and obligations held, acquired or incurred as at the coming into force of this Order—

• (a) by NERC, STFC or TSB in connection with the agreements specified in Part 1 of the Schedule; and

• (b) by STFC in connection with the grants awarded by STFC which are specified in Part 2 of the Schedule.

SCHEDULE

PART 1 — Specified Agreements

Interpretation

In this Part—

• “ESA” means the European Space Agency, an international organisation, established by the Convention which was opened for signature in Paris on 30th May 1975 and which entered into force on 30th October 1980[^f00004];

• “NASA” means the National Aeronautics and Space Administration whose headquarters are in Washington DC, United States of America; and

• “PPARC” means the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council whose property, rights liabilities and obligations were transferred to the STFC by the Research Councils (Transfer of Property etc) Order 2007[^f00005]. DatePartiesDescription 24th March 2000 (extended and amended on 27th December 2007, 8th August 2008 and 13th December 2010)PPARC and NASALetter of agreement concerning cooperation on the HINODE (formerly Solar B) mission4th May 2000 (extended on 18th October 2006 and 7th July 2010)PPARC and NASALetter of agreement concerning cooperation on the SWIFT mission7th March 2001 (extended on 27th December 2007, 8th August 2008 and 9th December 2010)PPARC and NASALetter of agreement concerning cooperation on the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission8th June 2004ESA and PPARC and other partiesMultilateral agreement concerning the European contribution to Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI)9th May 2005ESA and PPARC and other partiesMultilateral agreement concerning the provision of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) technology package for the LISA pathfinder mission3rd April 2007 (last amended on 28th July 2008)NERC and Astrium LimitedAgreement (number R8/H12/50) for the funding of the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI)24th May 2007ESA and STFC and other partiesMultilateral agreement concerning the provision of the Mercury planetary orbiter payload for the BepiColombo mission19th November 2008ESA and STFC and other partiesMultilateral agreement concerning the GAIA data processing10th October 2009TSB, the Secretary of State for Transport, the Secretary of State for Defence, and the British National Space CentreLetter of agreement on satellite navigation programmes, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo2nd December 2010ESA and STFC and other partiesMultilateral agreement signed on behalf of the United Kingdom for the ExoMars mission

PART 2 — Specified Grants

Signed

David Willetts — Minister of State for Universities and Science — Department for Business, Innovation and Skills — 16th March 2011

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

From 1st April 2010, the United Kingdom Space Agency has been operating as a shadow executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. From 1st April 2011, the UK Space Agency will operate as a full executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. In this regard, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued directions, by virtue of section 3(6) of the Science and Technology Act 1965, to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC), and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). These directions require NERC, STFC and TSB to transfer certain responsibilities for activities relating to scientific research in outer space to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills acting through the UK Space Agency.

This Order makes provision for the transfer to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (in relation to the UK Space Agency) of all property, rights, liabilities and obligations held, acquired or incurred by:

• (a) NERC, STFC or TSB in connection with certain agreements relating to activities in relation to scientific research in outer space previously carried on by those Research Councils; and

• (b) STFC in connection with certain grants awarded by STFC for scientific research in relation to outer space.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1965 c.4.

[^f00002]: S.I. 2007/279.

[^f00003]: S.I. 2007/280.

[^f00004]: Treaty Series No. 30 (1981), Cmnd 8200.

[^f00005]: S.I. 2007/770.