1
TO:
Minister for Industry
FROM:
Ken Inglis
BNSC
Millbank Tower
Room 803
217 4229
26 February 1990
OUTER SPACE ACT: HONG KONG
1.
ISSUE
1
2.
3.
I
PWB
Outer Space
cc PS/Secretary of State
PS/Secretary
Mr Williams Dep Sec Mr Pryor BNSC
Mr O'Shea FRM
Mrs Darvell Sols Mr Milne BNSC
Ms Major
FCO
FCO
Mr Chamberlain
Mr Simmonds) Special
Mrs Ramsay) Advisers
Act
Extension of the Outer Space Act, 1986 to Hong Kong
involving a transfer of powers to the Governor of Hong Kong.
PURPOSE
To inform you of action under way to effect such an
extension.
BACKGROUND
Provision exists under section 15(6) of the Outer Space Act, 1986 to apply the Act to dependent territories by Order in Council. Arrangements were already in hand to activate section 15 (6) when BNSC learned at short notice of plans by a consortium incorporated under the law of Hong Kong to launch from the territory of the Peoples Republic of China a communication satellite, ASIASAT, in April 1990. As HMG's obligations under UN space Conventions and Treaties extend to space activities in dependent territories, steps have to be accelerated to carry out the extension in time to cover the ASIASAT launch. The FCO is responsible for drafting and presenting the requisite Order in Council. The only opportunity to do so to meet the ASIASAT timescale is to submit an Order to the Privy Council for consideration at its meeting on 15 March. In turn this requires the FCO to finalise its draft Order by 27 February.
4.
ARGUMENT
I
Given the inexperience of the Hong Kong authorities with the Outer Space Act and its licensing requirements, BNSC's first reaction was to propose an initial extension leaving the licensing and regulating powers in the hands of the
Secretary of State and thus BNSC responsible for drawing up
CM7AAG