ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the national licensing practices relevant to contracting for space and will do so within the current scope of the 1986 Outer Space Act as administered by the United Kingdom (UK) Space Agency. In addition the UK has taken into account the Principles adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, in particular the Principles Governing the Use by States of Artificial Earth Satellites for International Direct Television Broadcasting and the Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space. For a communications satellite in geo-synchronous earth orbit, an application requires an International Telecommunications Union approved slot and frequency allocation as part of the licence application process. Future satellites will need to be more capable and many will require more manoeuvrability from more capable propulsion systems for de-orbiting or collision avoidance. However, with the many recent collision events, starting with the 2007 Chinese Anti Satellite test (ASAT), the population will continue to grow even with no new satellite launches.
