ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the effects of such legislation on Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES - National centre for space studies) missions, in particular risks of conflicts of interest between its traditional space agency missions. It discusses various issues, which include the CNES missions at the Guiana Space Centre (GSC), the European Launch Base for Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, where CNES's President has been entrusted by French Space Law on Space Operations (FSOA) with a special authority over the general safety, security and base management. A difference between CNES and state operators is that CNES's financial resources are mainly provided by the National Research Budget and contracts or mandates from ministry or other public agencies, included European Space Agency (ESA). CNES has also never developed any 'commercial' permanent activity on its own, at least within the meaning of the French commerce or tax codes. French government representation on the ESA and programme boards since its constitution in 1973.
