2011 No. 822

Scientific ResearchResearch Councils

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

Made

Coming into force

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 3(6) of the Science and Technology Act 19651, makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement1

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.

Interpretation2

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 20072; 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 20073.

Transfer of property, rights, liabilities and obligations3

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.

David WillettsMinister of State for Universities and ScienceDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills

SCHEDULE

Article 3

PART 1Specified 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 19804;

  • 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 20075.

    Date

    Parties

    Description

    24th March 2000 (extended and amended on 27th December 2007, 8th August 2008 and 13th December 2010)

    PPARC and NASA

    Letter of agreement concerning cooperation on the HINODE (formerly Solar B) mission

    4th May 2000 (extended on 18th October 2006 and 7th July 2010)

    PPARC and NASA

    Letter of agreement concerning cooperation on the SWIFT mission

    7th March 2001 (extended on 27th December 2007, 8th August 2008 and 9th December 2010)

    PPARC and NASA

    Letter of agreement concerning cooperation on the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission

    8th June 2004

    ESA and PPARC and other parties

    Multilateral agreement concerning the European contribution to Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI)

    9th May 2005

    ESA and PPARC and other parties

    Multilateral agreement concerning the provision of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) technology package for the LISA pathfinder mission

    3rd April 2007 (last amended on 28th July 2008)

    NERC and Astrium Limited

    Agreement (number R8/H12/50) for the funding of the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI)

    24th May 2007

    ESA and STFC and other parties

    Multilateral agreement concerning the provision of the Mercury planetary orbiter payload for the BepiColombo mission

    19th November 2008

    ESA and STFC and other parties

    Multilateral agreement concerning the GAIA data processing

    10th October 2009

    TSB, the Secretary of State for Transport, the Secretary of State for Defence, and the British National Space Centre

    Letter of agreement on satellite navigation programmes, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo

    2nd December 2010

    ESA and STFC and other parties

    Multilateral agreement signed on behalf of the United Kingdom for the ExoMars mission

PART 2Specified Grants

Scientific Programme – Title

Grant – Reference Number

Holding Organisation - Name

Aurora

PP/E007740/1

Open University

ST/F011830/1

University College London

ST/F012020/1

Open University

ST/F012179/1

The University of Manchester

ST/H000259/1

University of Leeds

ST/I002820/1

Natural History Museum

ST/I506102/1

University of Aberdeen

ST/I506110/1

The University of St Andrews

ST/I506129/1

Open University

BepiColombo Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS) - flight model

PP/EE002056/1

University of Leicester

PP/E002412/1

Open University

Exomars instrument development

ST/I00209X/1

University of Leicester

ST/I002081/1

Imperial College London

ST/I002197/1

Cranfield University

ST/I006110/1

Cranfield University

ST/I00274X/1

University College London

ST/I002758/1

Aberystwyth University

ST/I00588/1

University of Leicester

ST/I002677/1

University of Leicester

ExomarsTrace Gas Orbiter support

ST/I003010/1

University of Oxford

ST/I00310X/1

University of Leicester

ST/I003061/1

Open University

ST/I00307X/1

British Geological Survey

ST/I003096/1

Open University

ST/I003118/1

University College London

GAIA Data Centre – flight development and operations

PP/D006546/1

University of Cambridge

PP/D006570/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

PP/D006791/2

Open University

PP/D006511/1

University of Leicester

PP/D006503/1

University of Edinburgh

ST/I000852/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

ST/I00064X/1

Open University

ST/I00047X/1

University of Leicester

ST/I000402/1

University of Edinburgh

ST/I000542/1

University of Cambridge

Herschel Space Observatory / Spectral & Photometric Imaging Receiver (Spire) operations

ST/G003831/1

University of Cardiff

ST/G003874/1

Imperial College London

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI)

ST/H003568/1

University of Leicester

ST/I002693/1

University of Leicester

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder payload / LISA Test Package – flight model

ST/I003401/1

University of Birmingham

ST/I003509/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

ST/I006226/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

LISA technology development (pre-phase A)

ST/H000356/1

University of Glasgow

ST/H000364/1

University of Glasgow

ST/G008566/1

Imperial College London

M2 mission Phase A/B1 studies (Euclid)

ST/I002952/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

ST/I002960/1

University of Durham

ST/002898/1

University of Portsmouth

ST/I002901/1

University of Edinburgh

ST/I003045/1

University of Oxford

M2 mission Phase A/B1 studies (Plato)

ST/I002812/1

Queen’s University Belfast

ST/I00291X/1

University of Cambridge

ST/I003207/1

University of Leicester

ST/I002944

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

ST/I002855/1

Queen Mary, University of London

Planck mission operations

ST/H00002X/1

University of Cambridge

ST/H000593/1

University of Cardiff

ST/F004680/1

University of Cardiff

ST/H001212/1

The University of Manchester

ST/H001239/1

Imperial College

ROSETTA mission operations

ST/I006021/1

University of Cardiff

ST/H004262/1

Imperial College London

Solar Orbiter Phase B2 payload

ST/I002928/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

ST/I002863/1

Imperial College London

ST/1002936/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

Venus Express operations

ST/G00420X/1

University of Aberystwyth

ST/G004218/1

University of Sheffield

SG/G004188/1

Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

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.