UK Space Exploration Agency (Consolidation and Expansion) Bill

A
BILL
TO

make provision for the consolidation and expansion of the United Kingdom's governmental spaceflight programmes, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Formation of UKSA

1 Reformation of UKSA as body corporate

(1) In this Act "the executive agency" means the United Kingdom Space Agency, an executive agency of His Majesty's Government. This is distinct to the corporate body created by this Act.

(2) There shall be a United Kingdom Space Agency (hereafter "UKSA") which shall, on and after the primary transfer date, be charged with the duties of—

(a) the design, manufacture, construction, launching and operating of spacecraft and associated infrastructure in accordance with the national space strategy objectives set by the Secretary of State;
(b) securing the expansion and development of the space industry and encouraging scientific discoveries in the field of spaceflight and related sciences; and
providing spaceflight and related services as is best calculated to further the public interest, including the avoidance of any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage.

(3) On the primary transfer date the executive agency shall cease to exist.

(4) UKSA shall be a body corporate by the name of "the United Kingdom Space Agency".

(5) UKSA shall consist of a chairperson and eight other members.

(6) The chairperson and other members of UKSA shall be appointed by the Secretary of State from amongst persons appearing to be qualified as having had experience of, and having shown capacity in, scientific, industrial, administrative, or organisational matters.

2 Transfer of assets

(1) On the primary transfer date the assets, property, rights, liabilities, obligations, patents and designs specified in the Schedule to this Act are transferred to UKSA

(2) The Secretary of State may by order transfer other assets, property, rights, liabilities, obligations, patents and designs to UKSA as they may see fit.

(3) The Secretary of State may by order grant UKSA the power to transfer specified assets or properties to itself.

(a) “specified” means specified in the order.

(4) The power to make an order under subsection (3) includes the power to limit UKSA’s use of powers or to revoke or amend powers granted by orders under that subsection.

(5) No order may be made under subsection (2) or (3) unless a draft of that order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

Direction of UKSA

3 National Space Strategy

(1) The Secretary of State may from time to time publish a National Space Strategy document.

(2) The Secretary of State may by regulation or by order make such provision as they consider necessary for the implementation of the National Space Strategy.

(a) Regulations or orders under this subsection do not need to be made simultaneously to the publishing of a National Space Strategy Document.

(3) No regulation or order may be made under subsection (2) unless a draft of those regulations or that order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(4) UKSA must consider space strategy objectives when carrying out its duties.

4 Direction by Secretary of State

(1) The Secretary of State may from time to time offer direction to UKSA.

(2) UKSA must consider direction from the Secretary of State when carrying out its duties but may disregard such a direction where following it would contradict with or interfere with the execution of space strategy objectives or other duties of UKSA.

(3) No direction may be given to UKSA by the Secretary of State unless—

(a) the Secretary of State has made a statement to the House of Commons explaining—
(i) the direction, (ii) the effects of the direction, and (iii) the reasons why the Secretary of State believes the direction should be made; and (b) no motion to annul the direction is made under subsection (4) before the end of the period of seven days following the requirement in subsection (3)(a) being met.

(4) A direction made under this section may be annulled by the House of Commons.

5 Direction by House of Commons

(1) Direction is to be offered to UKSA from the House of Commons if the House of Commons passes a motion in the form set out in subsection (2).

(2) The form of motion for the purposes of subsection (1) is—

“That this House directs the United Kingdom Space Agency”

followed by the contents of the direction.

(2) UKSA must consider direction from the House of Commons when carrying out its duties.

(3) Where direction from the House of Commons would contradict with or interfere with the execution of space strategy objectives or other duties of UKSA, the direction from the House of Commons must be given precedence over the objective or duty that it would contradict or interfere with.

General expansion of UKSA

6 Power to acquire spaceports

(1) The chairperson may from time to time request that the Secretary of State make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a spaceport within the United Kingdom.

(2) The Secretary of State may make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a spaceport only if a draft of that order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(3) Schedules 6, 7, 8 and 9 to the Space Industry Act 2023 apply to orders made under this section as though they were made under that Act.

7 Power to acquire spacecraft

(1) The chairperson may from time to time request that the Secretary of State make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a spaceport.

(2) Such a request may only be made by the chairperson if the spacecraft—

(a) is owned by a company that resides in the United Kingdom,
(b) was built in and has never left the United Kingdom, or
(c) is situated in the United Kingdom and—
(i) has not launched in the period of time of one year ending on the day the chairperson makes the request, and
(ii) is not scheduled to be launched within the period of time of one year beginning on the day the chairperson makes the request.

(3) The Secretary of State may make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a spacecraft only if a draft of that order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(4) Schedules 6, 7, 8 and 9 to the Space Industry Act 2023 apply to orders made under this section as though they were made under that Act.

8 Power to acquire companies

(1) The chairperson may from time to time request that the Secretary of State make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a company registered in the United Kingdom.

(2) The Secretary of State may make an order authorising the compulsory purchase by UKSA of a company only if a draft of that order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(3) Schedules 6, 7, 8 and 9 to the Space Industry Act 2023 apply to orders made under this section as though they were made under that Act.

9 Powers to acquire: limitations

(1) The chairperson may only exercise the rights given in sections 6, 7 and 8 if they are convinced that the acquisition is necessary for the proper operation of UKSA.

(2) The chairperson may only exercise the rights given in section 6, 7 and 8 if they are of the belief that UKSA cannot meet the needs that would be satisfied by the acquisition requested within the timeframe required by UKSA.

Specific expansions of UKSA

10 Acquisition of Jodrell Bank Centre

(1) In this section—

“Jodrell Bank” means the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, and
“the University” means the University of Manchester.

(2) UKSA may compulsorily purchase Jodrell Bank, if the following conditions are met.

(3) The first condition is that UKSA has reached an agreement with the University whereby the University can continue to use Jodrell Bank for educational purposes, insofar as it is currently used.

(4) The second condition is that UKSA has reached an agreement with the University whereby members of staff at the University can continue to use Jodrell Bank during their research, subject to a time sharing arrangement.

(5) The third condition is that the chairperson believes that the acquisition of Jodrell Bank would be in the best interests of UKSA.

11 Acquisition of Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

(1) In this section—

“Goonhilly Station” means the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station,
“the parent company” means Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd., registered company number 06896077, and
“satellite dish time” means time dedicated to the use of a satellite dish.

(2) UKSA may compulsorily purchase the parent company, including the lease to Goonhilly Station, if the following conditions are met.

(3) The first condition is that UKSA has reached agreements with partners of the parent company whereby access to Goonhilly Station will still be permitted satellite dish time.

(4) The second condition is that the chairperson believes that the acquisition of the parent company would be in the best interests of UKSA.

12 Construction of deep space ground stations

(1) In this section—

“deep space ground station” refers to a ground station from which communications with deep spacecraft can occur, and
“Goonhilly Station” has the meaning given in section 11,

(2) UKSA may engage in the construction of deep space ground stations with the view of ensuring that it maintains a minimum of three deep space ground stations at a maximum separation of 120°

(3) If UKSA compulsorily purchases Goonhilly Station it must perform upgrades to the facility to allow it to act as a deep space ground station.

13 Nationalisation of initial spaceflight infrastructure

(1) In this section—

“Skyrora” refers to Skyrora Ltd., registered company number SC569511,
“Orbex” refers to Orbital Express Launch Ltd., registered company number 09580714,
“SaxaVord Spaceport” refers to the spaceport situated in the Shetland Islands, owned and operated by Skyrora,
“Space Hub Sutherland” refers to the spaceport situated in Sutherland, owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and operated by Orbex.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order permit UKSA to compulsorily purchase Skyrora or Orbex, but not both.

(3) UKSA must compulsorily purchase Skyrora and SaxaVord Spaceport within the period of twelve months beginning on the day on which the conditions in subsection (4) are satisfied.

(4) The conditions are that—

(a) the Secretary of State has permitted UKSA to compulsorily purchase Skyrora, and
(b) UKSA has reached agreements with the companies using SaxaVord Spaceport, other than Skyrora, whereby those companies can continue to make use of SaxaVord Spaceport.

(5) UKSA must compulsorily purchase Orbex and Space Hub Sutherland within the period of twelve months beginning on the day on which the conditions in subsection (6) are satisfied.

(6) The conditions are that—

(a) the Secretary of State has permitted UKSA to compulsorily purchase Orbex,
(b) UKSA has reached agreements with the companies using Space Hub Sutherland, other than Orbex, whereby those companies can continue to make use of Space Hub Sutherland, and
(c) UKSA has reached an agreement with the Scottish Government for the sale of Space Hub Sutherland to UKSA from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

General goals of UKSA

14 Statutory goals of UKSA

(1) Sections 15 to 20 specify the statutory goals of UKSA.

(2) UKSA must work towards the completion of these goals.**

(3) The Secretary of State may by order amend sections 15 to 20.

15 Ground-based scientific goals

The ground-based scientific goals of UKSA are—

(a) to take part in astrophysical research,
(b) to perform radio astronomy,
(c) to take part in astronomical observation, and
(d) to collaborate with international partners on these goals.

16 Near-Earth scientific goals

The near-Earth scientific goals of UKSA are—

(a) to build and launch space observatories,
(b) to build and launch observation satellites, and
(c) to build, launch and collaborate with Earth-orbit space stations.

17 Deep space goals

The deep space goals of UKSA are—

(a) to ensure the landing of an astronaut from the UK on the Moon by 2035,
(b) to build and launch spacecraft designed to land on the Moon,
(c) to build and launch spacecraft designed to study Mars, and
(d) to demonstrate in-situ resource utilisation on the Moon and on other planets.

18 Research & development goals

The research and development goals of UKSA are—

(a) to develop new rocket technology including methods of propulsion, new manufacturing techniques and innovative production methods,
(b) to lower the overall carbon-equivalent emission of the space industry, for example through the development of fuels that are not as emissive,
(c) to develop methods of reducing pollution from the space industry,
(d) to provide support to the UK space sector to implement new developments in the space industry,
(e) to develop methods of reducing levels of space junk, and
(f) to create and train a civilian corps of astronauts.

19 Industrial goals

The industrial goals of UKSA are—

(a) to develop and build up the capacity of the UK to perform specialised manufacturing,
(b) to construct facilities for the manufacture of spacecraft, including components, metalworking, electronics and additive manufacturing.
(c) to invest in the space industry and adjacent industries with the intent to improve the capacity of the UK for spaceflight.

20 Sustainability and Environmental Protection in Space Activities

[(1) UKSA shall develop and implement a comprehensive space debris mitigation plan that aligns with international best practices and guidelines. This plan must include measures for the minimisation of debris during launch, operation, and disposal phases of spacecraft and launch vehicles.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MHOC/comments/17vyh62/b1629_uk_space_exploration_agency_consolidation/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3]

(2) UKSA shall actively participate in and support international efforts for the removal of existing space debris and shall allocate resources for the research and development of debris removal technologies.

(3) UKSA shall promote the development and use of eco-friendly launch technologies that reduce emissions and other environmental impacts on Earth.

(4) UKSA shall encourage the design and use of reusable spacecraft and launch systems to reduce space debris and promote sustainability in space operations.

(5) UKSA shall prepare an annual sustainability report detailing its environmental impact, progress in debris mitigation, and the effectiveness of its sustainability practices, which shall be submitted to Parliament.

Additional provision

21 Supplemental

(1) A power under this Act to appoint a person to perform an official role includes a power to remove a person from that role in the same manner.

(2) Within two months of this section coming into force the Secretary of State must by order appoint the primary transfer date.

(a) The primary transfer date may be no later than six months after the date on which this section came into force.

(3) Unless specified otherwise, a power to make regulations or an order—

(a) may be annulled by a resolution of the House of Commons, and
(b) refers to regulations or an order made by statutory instrument.

(4) The Secretary of State may by regulation make provision generally for carrying this Act into effect.

(5) Regulations may not be made under subsection (5) unless a draft of those regulations has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(6) Where this Act gives the power of compulsory purchase, in—

(a) England or Wales, the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 applies to that compulsory purchase as if UKSA were a local authority within the meaning of that Act;
(b) Scotland, the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 applies to that compulsory purchase as if UKSA were a local authority within the meaning of that Act;
(c) Northern Ireland, Schedule 6 to the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 applies to that compulsory purchase as if UKSA were a council within the meaning of that Act.

(7) If an order is made under sections 7 or 8, subsection 3 applies as if the spacecraft or business were land under the relevant Act, if applicable.

22 Additional amendments

(1) In the Environment (Dark Sky Protection) Act 2023—

(a) insert a new section 9(2)(aa) reading “ (aa) UKSA;”
(b) insert a new section 10(4) reading—
“(4) In the case of a Dark Sky Zone that is the result of an application to the Secretary of State by UKSA, an order under this section must establish the Dark Sky Zone authority to be UKSA."

(2) In the Space Industry Act 2023, add a new definition to section 69(1) reading—

“national space strategy objective” has the meaning given in the United Kingdom Space Agency (Consolidation and Expansion) Act 2023

23 General interpretation

In this Act—

“the chairperson” means the chairperson of UKSA,
“deep space” means space beyond the orbit of Earth, including lunar space,
“deep spacecraft” means a spacecraft that is intended to operate in deep space,
“direction” means direction delivered to the chairperson intended to influence the actions of UKSA,
“Land Commission” has the meaning given in the Land Reform Act 2022,
“National Space Strategy” means the most recent document published under section 3(1),
“national space strategy objective” means any objective set in the National Space Strategy,
“primary transfer date” means the date appointed in the order made under section 21(2),
“spacecraft” has the meaning given in the Space Industry Act 2023,
“spaceport” has the meaning given in the Space Industry Act 2023,
“treaty” has the meaning given in section 25 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010,

24 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) Subject to subsection 1(a), this Act extends to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(a) Any amendment or repeal of another provision has the same extent as the provision amended or repealed.

(2) Subject to subsections 3 and 4, the provisions of this Act come into force on such day or days as the Secretary of State may by regulations appoint.

(3) No regulation made under subsection (2) may appoint a day which is earlier than the primary transfer date.

(4) Sections 1, 2, 21, 22, 23 and 24 come into force on the day on which this Act is passed.

(5) This Act may be cited as the United Kingdom Space Agency (Consolidation and Expansion) Act 2023.

SCHEDULE

Assets to be transferred

1 All assets and property held by the executive agency.

2 All assets and property held by or on behalf of His Majesty's Government in relation to—

(a) the Caliban rocket project;
(b) the joint UK-ESA space station;
(c) the LaunchUK scheme;
(d) the National Space Innovation Programme;
(e) the Enabling Technologies Programme;
(f) the General Support Technology Programme;
(g) the Navigation Innovation Support Programme;
(h) the Space Science Programme;
(i) the Space Exploration Programme;
(j) ESA Technology Harmonisation;
(k) the Space Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Programme; and
(l) the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems Programme.

3 All agreements specified in Part 1 of the Schedule to the United Kingdom Space Agency (Transfer of Property etc.) Order 2011.

4 All agreements entered into by the executive agency.

5 All grants specified in Part 2 of the Schedule to the United Kingdom Space Agency (Transfer of Property etc.) Order 2011.

6 All patents or designs held by the executive agency.

This bill was written by the Rt. Hon. Dame /u/Faelif CT CB GBE PC MP MLA MSP MS, Captain of the Pirate Party GB, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Space, Science, Research and Innovation. It is presented on behalf of His Majesty’s 34th Government. In drafting, the author made use of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

Referenced legislation:

United Kingdom Space Agency (Transfer of Property etc.) Order 2011
Space Industry Act 2023

Opening speech by /u/Faelif:

Deputy Speaker,

This bill is, similar to the previous Space Industry Act, something of a labour of love, and I’m sure many of you will find its length somewhat intimidating in the same way. As such I hope to provide a brief overview of the bill before you today and what it does in a digestible way before going into reasoning and the rhetoric that speeches in this House tend to contain.

In a nutshell, it converts the current UK Space Agency, primarily a funding body that exists under my department and serves very little actual purpose, into a bona fide space agency on the same level as NASA, ESA or JAXA. This new body will largely retain existing structure from the current Agency, but due to a statutory basis and mechanisms for expansion set out in law it will be able to stand high on the world stage instead of merely floundering around helping private bodies.

Every other major world player has its own space programmes. The voyage into space is one that demonstrates a nation’s technical prowess, its dedication and its commitment to humanity’s shared future in space. And yet the United Kingdom stands alone in entrusting this important aspect of our future solely to private market interests, which innately have no regard to the scientific and public interest motivations that ought to be key when designing craft that will determine the fates of later generations.

Why is this? Certainly not for lack of skill, as the UK is home to a wide and varied high-level manufacturing industry, some of the world’s brightest minds and no shortage of wanderlust. Nor is it down to an inability to pay: the UK is more than capable of funding space exploration, settlement and discovery. No, the limiting factor is the question of willingness from central government. It is without a doubt that if we are to be responsible in our approach to space we need a strong public space program to enable and direct scientific endeavours in space, and until now that is what the UK has been missing. Space has not been a priority for past governments - consider that between the 1980s and earlier this year there was no new space-related legislation - and it’s time that changed.

By passing this bill, the United Kingdom is taking a step towards the stars above - an important step that ensures a future in space grounded in common respect and equality for all.

Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, that the Bill now be read a second time.

This reading shall close on the 28th November at 10pm GMT